Galactic Odyssey
by lauraac2110
Summary: Space, sight of the original greatest war between Good and Evil, has become the final frontier once again. This is the Odyssey of the Rangers out in space as they fight to keep some of the greatest evils away from Earth for as long as they possibly can.
1. Prologue: Space, The Final Frontier

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Power Rangers, unfortunately, Disney and Saban have that honour._

_**Note: **__**The Galactic Odyssey is purely additional content for my Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart novel. It doesn't stand alone, unfortunately, so if you haven't read my main novel, you won't have a clue about what is happening in this novel at all! **_

_This Odyssey mainly deals with the Space Rangers and the Galaxy Rangers from the day of the Venjix invasion onwards to present events in my novel. However, it also deals with Trey of Triforia, the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger as well although they won't be so frequently mentioned as the Space and Galaxy Rangers__._

_Lau__raac2110_

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Prologue: Space, The Final Frontier

by Lauraac2110

_Space. Who would have ever thought that it would become the final frontier once again?_

_Many years after the first Space War between Good and Evil, which almost ended in Evil's victory, a new Space War has started all over again. The evils destroyed by Zordon's purifying energy have been revived because of a freak accident. Due to the restoration of those evils, the Power Rangers out in space have had to come out of retirement and we've now banded together to defend against their attacks._

_Unlike the last time, though, we're now facing attacks from the forces of multiple evils such as Divatox, Dark Specter, King Mondo, Scorpius and his daughter Trakeena all at the same time. With fourteen of us Power Rangers, and the Blue Senturion, against millions of enemies, you would think that we would have given up because the odds are impossibly against us by now._

_That's never going to happen, though. We know that we've got to keep fighting for as long as we possibly can to stall these great evils so that Tommy Oliver can gather the scattered Power Rangers on Earth together to form an effective defence. If he can't find the Power Rangers in time and, if we can't hold off the evils for long, Earth will fall along with the rest of the universe into Evil's control. _

_Whilst everyone else is mainly fighting to stop evil from taking control of the universe, Zhane and I also fighting for someone else extremely dear to us both. _

_My sister, Karone._

_Dark Specter stole her away from us again and brainwashed her back into Astronema. However, no matter what, we've made a promise to each other to free her from his control again. We just don't know how we're going to do it yet._

_I do know one thing, though. Rescuing Karone, along with keeping the evils in space occupied for as long as possible, is going to be quite a challenge which, as Power Rangers, we've always been ready for._


	2. Memories of Promises Part 1: To Karone

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 1: To Karone

by Lauraac2110

_**KO-35, Glade, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late evening**_

"_It was nice of you both to invite me over here tonight, Zhane, Karone," Andros smiled as they walked through the glade on KO-35. "I'm sorry that Ashley couldn't make it but she's with TJ, Cassie and Carlos right now. Apparently, they're marking an important event in their past tonight."_

"_No, it's fine, Andros. Karone and I understand," Zhane replied quickly as he looked to Karone. "Isn't that right, Karone?"_

"_Of course," she agreed. "Tonight is something that is important to Ashley and the other Turbo Rangers. Neither of us would want Ashley or the others to have their celebrations spoiled on our account."_

_Andros sighed. "Ashley will be glad to hear that. She was fretting about how upset you would be about the fact that she couldn't come. I told her not to worry but she wouldn't listen to me."_

"_No surprise there," Karone chuckled._

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Andros demanded. She didn't reply and Zhane decided to swiftly change the topic before an argument broke out._

"_Do you know, it has really been extremely peaceful on KO-35 recently. After we dispersed that troublesome group of space pirates a few months ago, we've had absolutely no trouble here at all," Zhane said as he glanced at the moon. "I'm starting to think that we might soon be out of a job, Andros."_

_Andros chuckled. "I know," he said simply in reply. _

_Beside them, Karone seemed troubled and, due to their closeness to her, both Andros and Zhane could tell that something was wrong._

"_What is it? Was it something I said?" Zhane asked gently._

"_I just don't think that this peace will last, that's all," Karone replied with a sigh. "I feel as if there is something dreadfully wrong with the universe tonight and I fear what it means for all of us."_

"_You're probably just imagining things, Karone," Andros said gently._

"_Yeah, there has been no signs of any more trouble brewing out here in space recently at all," Zhane agreed._

"_I just hope that you're both right," she replied uneasily as she sighed again. "If I'm not imagining things, we may soon be in trouble again."_

_Neither Andros or Zhane said anything in reply to this, and Karone didn't have anything else to say either, so they fell into an awkward silence for a while as they gazed at the stars in the sky above them._

_Eventually, Karone burst out with, "Promise me that you'll come rescue me if anything were to ever happen to me again."_

_Both Zhane and Andros are startled by her words._

"_Nothing is ever going to happen to you, Karone," Andros assured._

"_Because we wouldn't let it happen," Zhane added. _

"_I know. However, please, just promise me this," she begged. Andros and Zhane paused for a moment as they looked to each other before they sighed._

"_All right, we promise to come rescue you, Karone, if anything were to ever happen to you again," Andros and Zhane said simultaneously. _

"_Thanks," she said with a smile. "I just hope that you never have to act upon that promise."_

_They nodded in reply to this and fell silent for a while._

_Eventually, Karone felt awkward in their presence and decided to withdraw._

"_I'm just going to go prepare dinner. I'll call you when it's ready," she declared as she turned and left for her and Zhane's house nearby._

I wonder why I just can't shake the feeling that something is very wrong with the universe tonight? _Karone mused as __she walked. _Let's just hope that Andros and Zhane are right in saying that I'm imagining things...

_She paused for a moment._

Because, if they aren't, we're going to be in a great deal of trouble very soon... _she thought as she continued walking._


	3. Memories of Promises Part 2: Together

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 2: Together

by Lauraac2110

_**KO-35, Glade, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late evening, a few minutes later**_

_As soon as both Zhane and Andros were sure that Karone was gone, they looked at each other grimly._

"_I wonder what could have caused Karone to say such things," Zhane mused. _

"_I don't know. Perhaps she feels as uneasy as I do because it is so peaceful," Andros replied. "We've never had peace here for such a long period before."_

"_I know," Zhane agreed. "However, I still think that we were right to dismiss Karone's feeling of unease."_

"_There aren't any signs of anything else wrong around here," Andros added. "And, to be honest, we would have had warnings from the other Rangers out here in Space if there was something major going on."_

_Both of them were silent for a few moments before they sighed._

"_However, she is right in a strange way. Considering the extremely volatile nature of the universe, I don't think that this peace is going to last very much longer either,"Andros said grimly._

"_It's only going to be a matter of time before some power hungry citizen of this universe attempts to conquer it again," Zhane agreed. "We're overdue one out here in Space." _

"_I know," Andros said with a sigh. "And I worry about what that means for us. The armies of the United Alliance of Evil were the worst thing that any team of Rangers has had to deal with. What happens if someone much worse than all of them combined shows up?"_

_Zhane grinned. "If someone much worse than all of them ever shows up, we'll show them __why we're the most feared group of Rangers in the universe."_

_Andros laughed. "Yeah," he agreed. "Just like we showed Dark Specter and the United Alliance of Evil."_

_Silence prevailed for a few moments again before Zhane sighed._

"_Promise me something, Andros," Zhane finally said. "If other evils ever do show up, we'll stand and fight them together no matter what the odds against us are."_

"_Not you too," Andros exclaimed._

"_I'm sorry. Karone's uneasiness seems to have gotten to me," Zhane apologised. "Will you promise me that we'll fight together?"_

"_Of course," Andros replied. "You're like a brother to me, Zhane. I wouldn't want to fight evil without you at my side."_

_Andros then paused for a moment._

"_No matter what the odds against us are, of course," he added. _

_At that moment, Karone returned to the glade. _

"_Hey, dinner is ready," she declared. _

_Neither of them moved for a moment before they sighed._

"_All right, we had best head back to the house quickly then," Zhane said as he took Karone's hand. "Come on."_

_They left at that moment and Andros sighed. Then, he followed after them._

_As he walked, he thought about the promises that he had been forced to bear witness to._

Why do I get the feeling that I was forced to make those promises for a reason... _he wondered as he stopped in his tracks. _Oh well, I'm sure that I'll find out one day. Until then, though, I should just put these promises to the back of my mind.

"_Andros, are you coming?" Karone called._

"_Yes," he called in reply._

I wonder if Ashley is having a good time with TJ, Cassie and Carlos right now... _he thought as he rushed to catch up with Zhane and Karone. _


	4. Memories of Promises Part 3: Turbo

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 3: Turbo

by Lauraac2110

_**KO-35, Carlos's house, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late evening, at that very moment**_

_As the four Turbo Rangers sat around the dining table in Carlos's house at that very moment, they were talking away happily amongst themselves._

"_... I'm really sorry that Andros couldn't make it," Ashley apologised. "He's with Karone and Zhane tonight and he wanted me to tell you that he would have come here if he could have."_

"_It's all right, Ashley," Cassie assured. "It's not really a night of importance for him to celebrate anyway so, to be honest, Andros probably would have felt out of place being here like he did last year."_

"_Yeah," TJ agreed. "We understand."_

"_Do you know, I really can't believe that this is the anniversary again today. It only feels like it was a short time ago when we were celebrating the fact that it had been a decade since the day we became the Turbo Power Rangers. Now, here we are celebrating the eleventh anniversary," Carlos remarked. "It makes me feel old."_

_Everyone laughed at this._

"_It's a shame that Justin couldn't make it because of his martial arts tournaments," TJ sighed. "He was really looking forward to this as well considering that he had missed the celebrations last year as well."_

"_Yeah. Let's hope that he can make the celebrations next year," Ashley replied. "It would be a shame if he had to miss out on the party for the third year in a row."_

"_He seemed so upset when I spoke to him about it," Carlos mused._

_Everyone remained silent for several moments._

"_I can't believe how peaceful it has been on KO-35 recently," TJ finally said. "We've not had any kind of trouble for a few months now."_

"_I don't like it," Cassie said grimly. "It's just too quiet."_

"_If it keeps up, we could be out of a job," Ashley joked._

"_To be honest, I doubt that it will," Carlos said grimly._

"_So do I," TJ agreed. "Evil is bound to rear its ugly head again soon enough."_

_Everyone felt uneasy at this._

"_Perhaps, we should make a promise so that, if evil does show up again, we'll be ready for it," Cassie suggested._

"_What do you mean?" TJ asked._

"_If evil does show up again, we promise to work together, stick together and fight together as team to defeat it," Cassie explained._

"_I'll promise that," Ashley said with a smile. _

"_So will I," Carlos agreed. "Working on your own is no fun."_

"_Yeah, it isn't, isn't it?" TJ agreed. "I'll promise that too."_

"_Just like the Lost Galaxy Rangers did," Ashley said with a smile. "They told me once that they made a similar promise to each other some time ago."_

"_I miss those guys. We haven't heard from them for a while now," Cassie sighed. "I wonder what they're up to right now."_

"_I'm sure that they're probably together, just as we are, talking about something," TJ suggested._

"_What makes you suggest that?" Carlos asked._

"_Tonight's a beautiful night. It's the perfect sort of night to be talking about something wherever you are in the universe," TJ replied with a shrug. _

_Everyone laughed at this and just shook their heads._

"_I guess you're right," Ashley said as she got up and looked at the beautiful night sky from Carlos's nearby window. "It is a beautiful night out there."_

I hope that, whatever you're doing tonight, you're not in any sort of trouble Lost Galaxy Rangers... _she thought as she stared at the moon._

"_Hey, Ashley, do you want to play that board game now or later?" TJ called from the table. Ashley sighed and turned._

"_Now would be good," she replied as she returned to the table. "Cassie and I will beat you guys like we did last year."_

"_We'll just see about that," Carlos replied ominously as TJ went to fetch the board game and Cassie and Ashley just laughed._


	5. Memories of Promises Part 4: Lost Galaxy

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 4: Lost Galaxy

by Lauraac2110

_**Mirinoi, Sacred Grove, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late evening, also that very moment**_

_As the five Lost Galaxy Rangers and the, former, Magna Defender, Mike Corbett, gathered before the stone which held the Quasar Sabers, all of them looked at each other for a moment before they looked around at their surroundings._

"_It has been a long time since we last gathered in this way, hasn't it?" Maya said softly. "Don't worry, I made sure that my people knew that the Power Rangers were gathering tonight so that they would not disturb us."_

"_It's really peaceful tonight," Kai said softly. "It's remarkable that it has been so peaceful out here for a few years now. Considering all the trouble the other planets have had, it's a miracle that it hasn't spread to Mirinoi as well."_

"_I know," Kendrix agreed. "Do you know what, I'm glad that it has been so peaceful here."_

"_Why?" Damon asked curiously. _

"_Well, all this peace and quiet has given me a chance to get to know Leo extremely well," she giggled in reply as she took Leo's hand. Leo turned bright red at this and everyone laughed._

"_Poor Leo, he almost..." Damon and Kai began together._

_At that moment, Mike decided to intervene to save his brother from further embarrassment at their hands. He grabbed both Damon and Kai and held them in tight headlocks._

"_That's enough guys," Mike said quite firmly as they tried to struggle free. "Just remember that I've got a fair amount of blackmail material on both of you so, if you embarrass my brother any further, I might just tell the others about that time when you both got quite drunk and..."_

"_All right! We get the message!" Damon exclaimed. "Please don't tell them."_

"_Yeah, we won't say anything else to Leo about his love life. We promise," Kai added. Mike let them both go at that moment._

"_I'll hold you both to that," he warned as he grinned. Leo shot his brother a look of welcome relief as the red look of embarrassment faded from his face. _

I had better thank Mike for saving me from their teasing later... _Leo thought as he made a mental note to himself. _And, while I'm at it, I'll ask about that drunken incident Mike was referring to so that I've got blackmail material if they ever try to embarrass me again.

"_Ok, if you're finished being boys, we gathered for a reason, you know," Maya said as she coughed. _

"_Oh, right," Leo said as he blinked. "Well, as far as Mike and I can tell, it seems that everyone is still getting on brilliantly. Relations between your tribe, Maya, and the Terra Venture citizens are still extremely good. However..."_

"_That little incident a few weeks ago with the wildcats has created a bit of a problem. The minority who still don't trust your tribe have suddenly found that they've been given a platform to express their views," Mike continued. "All of us have done what we can where we can to try to stop them spreading distrust but there is only so much we can do without risking exposure."_

"_Guys, we might have to risk exposure to prevent the minority from ruining the peace that we have all worked hard for," Kai warned. _

"_My entire tribe may know about us being the Power Rangers but, to be honest, I don't think that I really want Terra Venture to know as well," Maya replied. "Unless there isn't any other option,__ we should stick to working against the minority in the shadows for now."_

"_I agree with Maya on this on, guys," Kendrix said grimly. "Unmasking ourselves would be a disaster."_

_Everyone else was silent for several moments before they nodded._

"_All right, we'll continue trying to disrupt the minority who are against the tribe from the shadows," Leo said grimly. "However, if becomes clear that we've got no other choice, we will reveal ourselves to stop the peace that we've worked so hard for being ruined."_

"_Anyway, let's get to the other reasons why we're here tonight. As all of you should know, the building of the new city of Terra Venture is going exceptionally well," Damon grinned. "It has taken us ten years but we're almost complete now. __When it's done, Terra Venture will be the most technologically advanced city in the universe."_

"_So, what's left to be built?" Maya asked curiously._

"_Just the Command Tower," Mike replied. "It should only take us another few months and, once it's done, we'll be able to finally sleep in warm beds. Don't get me wrong, I like sleeping in tents but I've missed a number of home comforts over the years."_

_Leo chuckled. "So have I," he agreed._

_Maya looked to the Quasar Sabers for a moment before she sighed._

"_I can't believe that the Galactabeasts have all gone into a deep slumber now," she said sadly. "The village has been eerily quiet without their presence over the past few days."_

"_Yeah. Their yearly visits to Terra Venture were often greatly enjoyed by the children there. They were distraught when they found out that the Galactabeasts weren't going to come back again," Kendrix said with a sigh. _

"_When they're needed again, I'm sure that they'll wake up," Kai assured. "And, knowing how fragile peace seems to be in the universe as a whole, I'm sure that we'll still be around when it happens."_

"_Well, they won't be woken by me, that's for sure," Leo said quietly._

"_What do you mean?" Maya demanded._

"_I don't want to take up my Quasar Saber again," he answered simply._

"_Leo! You..." everyone else exclaimed. Leo raised his hand to stop them._

"_Hear me out first before you judge, all right," he said sadly. "I no longer feel able to risk my life again defending Terra Venture because there are a lot of people on Mirinoi who depend on me for various things and, if anything were to happen to me, they'd be left here on their own. I don't want that to happen."_

_Leo paused for a moment. "If evil does strike again, I think that there should be new Lost Galaxy Rangers taking up our mantle to defend Mirinoi," he continued. "And I'll be happy watching them work from the sidelines."_

_Everyone was stunned into silence by Leo's words for several moments before Kendrix spoke up._

"_You have a point, Leo. I never quite thought of it like that before," she said uneasily. "Even when I was almost permanently destroyed by the Psycho Rangers..." _

"_Neither did I," Damon said. The other four Lost Galaxy Rangers looked down at the ground as they consider Leo's words._

_At that moment, Mike decided to speak up._

"_I may never be able to become the Magna Defender again but you guys can still become the Lost Galaxy Rangers again if you so wish," Mike warned. "If you do give up your mantles, I urge you to be absolutely sure that this is what you want to do."_

"_I'm absolutely sure, Mike," Leo said quietly. _

"_And, now, so am I," Kendrix declared. "You've all lost me once. If you were to lose me again, I'm sure that you would never forgive yourselves. I don't want that to happen."_

"_I'm absolutely sure as well," Maya agreed. "Jera is preparing me to be the new tribal elder and, if anything were to happen to me, the tribe would fall into chaos. I don't want that to happen."_

_Damon and Kai sighed._

"_If you're all sure, so are we," Kai declared. "Terra Venture depends on Damon and I to keep it running. If anything were to happen to us, Terra Venture would fall into chaos."_

"_So, we agree to promise that we won't take up the mantles of the Lost Galaxy Rangers again if evil were to ever show up?" Leo said._

_The other four Lost Galaxy Rangers nodded._

"_That doesn't mean, of course, that we can't still take up the mantle if peace disintegrates on Mirinoi, of course," Leo continued. "We're just not going to be fighting the big evils like Scorpius and Trakeena again. Let's leave that to the younger generation."_

_Everyone, even Mike, laughed at this._

"_All right, I think that it's time for us to go back to Terra Venture. If we stay out here much longer, they'll send search parties like they did the last time," Leo declared. "I don't think that we'll be able to get out of explaining ourselves as __easily as we did the last time again."_

_Damon and Kai chuckled. "Commander Stanton was furious for weeks with us," Damon said._

"_I can still remember the expression on his face too," Kai added. "He looked like he was about to explode when we returned."_

"_Yeah. I was afraid that he would have sacked us all," Mike said with a grin. "But he couldn't. We're useful and, as much as he hates to admit it, Terra Venture would be ruins without all of our work."_

"_Well, I bid all of you goodnight," Maya said simply as she left the grove and entered her home. "Hopefully, I'll see you in the morning."_

"_Now, it's our turn," Leo said grimly. The other three Lost Galaxy Rangers nodded and they turned to leave._

"_Mike, aren't you coming?" Leo called as he walked when he realised that Mike had made no move to follow them._

"_I'll be along in a minute. You guys go on ahead without me," he replied as he glanced at the Quasar Sabers. They left at that moment and, with a sigh, Mike approached the Quasar Sabers. _

I wonder..._ Mike thought as he reached out to the Lion Quasar Saber. _Can I...?

_As his hand touched the hilt of the saber, he flinched back instinctively._

"_I'll never know if I don't try," Mike muttered to himself as he grasped the hilt and attempted to draw the Lion Quasar Saber from the stone._

_It came out without any effort and, for a moment, Mike was stunned._

So it still reacts to me... _Mike thought as he held the Lion Quasar Saber across his hands. _Even after all this time...

_At that moment, Mike sighed as it began to light up the sacred grove with a red glow. His thoughts then turned to the promise that the Lost Galaxy Rangers had just made. A promise that he honestly didn't think they would be able to keep without someone getting hurt._

"_I won't let your promise cause tragedy, guys," Mike vowed silently to himself. "If it becomes apparent that you must become the Lost Galaxy Rangers again because evil attacks Mirinoi, I will make sure that you do."_

"_And, if Leo still wishes to be stubborn about it when that day comes, I'll take up the Lion Quasar Saber in his place if I have to," he vowed. _

_At that moment, he put the Lion Quasar Saber back into the stone and stared at it for a moment. Then, Mike left the sacred grove, deep in thought, as he rushed to catch up with the others as they headed back to the new Terra Venture._

_**Mirinoi, Secret Glade, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late evening, at that very moment**_

_As the other four Galactabeasts slept soundly around it, the Lion Galactabeast suddenly awoke. Someone, who it could sense wasn't Leo, had just removed its Quasar Saber for a few minutes and had then proceeded to return it to the stone again._

_It was puzzled. Who had managed to remove the saber? Why had they done it? Was there trouble?_

_It didn't know the answer to the first two questions but, as for the third, it couldn't sense anything wrong. It yawned._

_After several minutes, it decided to go back to sleep. It planned to discuss what had happened with the woman, Maya, next time it woke again. Until then, though, it needed to rest._

_Little did it realise as it went back to sleep, though, that chaos would greet it when it next awoke..._


	6. Memories of Promises Part 5: On Eltar

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 5: On Eltar

by Lauraac2110

_**Eltar, Zordon's Resting Place, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, very late in the evening, some time later**_

_As Alpha 5 carried out his daily check of the tranquil grove on Eltar where Zordon, the legendary sage, rested in his final resting place, he didn't hear the soft footsteps of the visitor to the grove._

"_Greetings, Alpha 5," the visitor said softly. _

_Alpha jumped in fright and turned. Then, he started chuckling._

"_Ai, Ai, Ai, Trey of Triforia, Gold Zeo Ranger, it has been a long time," Alpha greeted. "You gave me quite a fright there."_

"_I can see that, Alpha," Trey replied. "It has been a long time indeed."_

"_So, what brings you to Zordon's final resting place at this late hour, Trey?" Alpha asked._

"_For some strange reason, I just felt as if I had to be here tonight," he replied. "It sounds strange, I know, but..."_

"_It doesn't sound strange at all, Trey," Alpha replied. "Actually, it sounds like fate to me."_

_Trey remained silent for several moments. "May I..." he began._

"_Of course," Alpha replied as he went over and pulled back the screen of vines that concealed Zordon's still form during the night. Trey of Triforia looked upon the body of the old sage in sorrow._

"_Even now, he still looks so peaceful," Trey commented. "And he passed away so violently too..."_

"_No, Trey, he didn't," Alpha countered. "He passed away peacefully because, at the very end, he wanted to die to save the entire universe from evil."_

_Trey didn't say anything else about Zordon's death as he turned away from the old sage's body. Instead, he decided to change the topic to prevent himself from being consumed by his sorrow._

"_The universe has been quite peaceful recently. There has been some trouble but nothing serious enough to require the attention of any of the Power Rangers out here in Space," Trey noted. _

"_Remarkably, Earth has also apparently been quite peaceful recently too," Alpha said. "Normally, Earth is the centre of trouble in the universe but, besides a computer virus infecting all the machines on the planet, there hasn't been any word of anything too serious happening there either."_

_Trey sighed. "Do you know, Alpha, I really miss Zordon," he said. "The universe really hasn't been the same without him over the past decade."_

"_I too miss Zordon," Alpha admitted. "He has that affect on everybody who meets him."_

_Silence filled the grove for several moments before Trey spoke up._

"_Can I ask you something, Alpha?" he said._

_The robot nodded. "Anything," he replied._

"_Why haven't you left this place and gone on to do something else?" Trey asked._

_Alpha sighed._

"_Ai, Ai, Ai, I should have known that you would ask me a difficult question like that," Alpha exclaimed before he sighed. "Well, to be honest, it's because I'm still bound by the pledge I made to Zordon to serve him faithfully until the end of my days."_

"_Surely you could..." Trey began._

"_Of course I could leave if I wanted to," Alpha admitted. "However, I'm perfectly happy to spend the rest of my days here on Eltar guarding Zordon's final resting place."_

"_Such loyalty is remarkable, Alpha 5," a voice said. _

"_I've never seen any robot so dedicated to one person before," another voice added._

_Alpha jumped again as he and Trey turned to see who had entered the grove._

"_Aww, shucks," Alpha said in embarrassment. _

"_Well, aren't you going to introduce us?" Trey demanded. Alpha nodded._

"_Trey of Triforia, Gold Zeo Ranger, meet the Blue Senturion, intergalactic police officer, and the Phantom Ranger," Alpha said in introduction. "Both the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger are allies and serve the cause of Good as faithfully as you do."_

"_Nice to meet you," Trey said politely. "So, you must have arrived just after I left. You fought alongside the Turbo Rangers, didn't you?"_

_Both the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger nodded._

"_And you fought with the Zeo Rangers?" Blue Senturion countered._

"_Yes, I did," Trey replied. "They were great fun although I never quite understood all the human customs at times."_

_Both the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger laughed._

"_Yeah. Neither did we," the Phantom Ranger agreed. "I've been told that the Pink Turbo Ranger, Cassie, had a crush on me. I still don't understand why, though..."_

_Trey laughed helplessly. "You're lucky that it didn't progress any further otherwise things might have gotten extremely awkward, friend," he warned._

"_So, how are things in your section of the universe?" Alpha asked._

"_Peaceful, Alpha 5," Blue Senturion replied. "Too peaceful."_

"_If it keeps up, we'll be out of a job," the Phantom Ranger chuckled. Trey laughed as well._

"_Without evil, there really isn't any need for Power Rangers," he agreed. _

_A companionable silence fell over the three visitors to the grove at that moment as each of the three of them waited for one of the others to say something._

"_I like you Trey of Triforia," the Phantom Ranger declared. "It's not often that I meet someone who I can easily get along with."_

"_I like you too. You're refreshing company compared to some people," Blue Senturion chuckled. The Phantom Ranger growled at this but didn't say anything in reply to it._

"_I like both of you. Triforians can often be poor company," Trey replied. "Especially when there are three of them and they start to argue amongst themselves about something."_

_The three of them laughed at this._

"_So, what brings you both here?" Alpha 5 asked._

"_Well, we just had this feeling that we had to be here tonight," the Phantom Ranger said uneasily. "Weird, huh?"_

_Trey of Triforia turned pale at this._

"_Not at all," he disagreed. "I myself had exactly the same feeling."_

_He paused for a moment. "And, given the circumstances, I feel compelled to offer you both a promise of my friendship. If you ever need any help, you can call on me. I'll drop everything and come running to your aid," he continued._

"_Thank you, Trey of Triforia," Blue Senturion said gratefully. _

"_Yes, thank you," the Phantom Ranger agreed. "I think that I speak for both the Blue Senturion and I when I promise our friendship to you. If you ever need any help, you can call on us. We'll also drop everything and come running to your aid."_

"_Thank you, my friends," Trey said with a smile before he turned paler. "Perhaps this is why we all had that feeling to come here. Alpha?"_

"_It could possibly be," Alpha replied. "Fate has strange ways of bringing people together."_

_All three visitors to Zordon's final resting place turned to the body of the old sage suspiciously for a moment before they sighed._

"_I think that we should be going now, Blue Senturion," the Phantom Ranger suggested. "If this is indeed why we came here, it's time for us to head back out on patrol again."_

_Blue Senturion sighed. "It was nice meeting you, Trey of Triforia. If this was indeed fate, we'll meet again, I'm sure," he said. "Goodbye, Alpha."_

"_It was nice meeting you both too. I had best be getting back to Triforia now as well. My people will be worried if I don't return soon," he said sadly. "Goodbye, Alpha."_

_And, with that, the three visitors to Zordon's final resting place went their separate ways. _

Did you have a hand in this meeting from the Spirit Realm, Zordon? _Alpha wondered as he watched the three visitors go. _And why do I get this feeling that they're going to do great things together?


	7. Memories of Promises Part 6: Ninjor

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 6: Ninjor

by Lauraac2110

_**Desert Of Despair, Temple Of Power, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, very late in the evening, at that very moment**_

_In the centre of the Temple of Power, Ninjor, the greatest ninja in the universe, sat quietly as he watched over the universe._

_Everything had been too peaceful lately for Ninjor. A universe without a little trouble was, for Ninjor, remarkably boring._

I do hope that this does not continue. Otherwise playing rock, paper, scissors will end up being my only source of real entertainment in this place... _Ninjor thought with a groan. _Until the next meeting of the Powers of Good comes around, that is...

_Ninjor's thoughts instantly turned to the other Powers of Good at that moment._

I wonder how they are getting on right now... _he thought. _I have not heard from any of them for quite some time now...

_Then, he burst out laughing as he thought about Auric. _He is probably still trapped in that alternate dimension right now. It has been over a decade yet he still hasn't managed to find a way out of it. And Zordon often said that Auric was amongst the cleverest of us all even though he is certainly not very brave...

_At that thought of Zordon, Ninjor grew sorrowful. _

He should never have had to sacrifice himself to save the universe. We tried to help him but he would not let us... _Ninjor thought. _He was insistent that his destruction was fate and, despite the fact that Dimitria saw otherwise, he still forced Andros to smash the energy tube...

_Ninjor sighed as he looked at the small memorial the Powers of Good had created within the Temple of Power to mark Zordon's passing. _

The universe has not been the same without you over the past decade, Zordon, my friend. _He thought. _You died defending the innocent of the universe and the Powers of Good will never forget that you were the best amongst us.

_At that moment, Ninjor got up and made his way to the garden of the Temple of Power. As he looked up at the stars above him, he decided to make a vow._

"_I am never going to leave this place again," he vowed grimly to himself. "I do not want to end up like either Zordon or Auric in the never-ending war between good and evil. My place will always be here where I can guard the Temple of Power and safely watch over the universe without having to fear being discovered."_

_At that moment, Ninjor yawned._

I am getting tired. It is time that I got a little rest. _He thought as he lay down on the grass and continued to look up at the stars. _The stars are so beautiful tonight that I think that I am going to sleep out here tonight although it is terribly boring...

_And, without another thought, Ninjor quickly dozed off under the stars. Little did he realise as he slept at that very moment that he would wake up in the morning to the news of tragedy and evil..._


	8. Memories of Promises Part 7: Dimitria

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 7: Dimitria

by Lauraac2110

_**Inquiris, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, very late in the evening, also at that very moment**_

_As Alpha 6 worked away at the nearby console, Dimitria of Inquiris watched her loyal robot work._

_Sensing Dimitria's eyes upon her, Alpha 6 turned to her._

"_Is something wrong, Dimitria?" she asked._

_Dimitria smiled. "Of course not, Alpha 6," she replied. "You are just so peaceful when you work."_

"_I'm not as peaceful as the universe has been, Dimitria," Alpha 6 chuckled._

"_That is true," Dimitria noted. "The universe has indeed been extremely peaceful recently. Almost too peaceful..."_

_At that moment, she instantly stiffened up without warning and Alpha 6 looked up in alarm._

"_Dimitria! Dimitria!" the robotic assistant exclaimed in alarm. "Are you..."_

_However, Dimitria couldn't hear her and didn't reply. Alpha 6 rushed over to her and, after running a few checks, the robot realised that Dimitria had fallen into another trance. Alpha 6 sighed._

Not again..._ she thought as she looked upon her mistress._

_**Dreamworld, White Zone**_

_Why have I been brought to the Dreamworld? _Dimitria thought as she looked around. _And to the White Zone..._

"Fate has brought you here, Dimitria, to bear witness to the future..." someone whispered. It was an odd voice that Dimitria thought she recognised but she couldn't quite put a name to it.

"What future?" Dimitria demanded. "Who are you?"

"I'm merely what will awaken at the end of all the chaos to come..." the voice replied pleasantly. "You can look forward to meeting me in person eventually."

"All right. What is this chaos you speak of?" Dimitria demanded.

"Wait and see," the voice replied. "Wait and see."

At that moment, the white light surrounding Dimitria began to wrap around her and her mind was filled with visions.

She saw a desolate barren Earth, ravaged and ruined by some sort of invasion, first and gasped.

"How does this come to pass?" Dimitria demanded. "Why have I not seen any warnings about this coming?"

"You haven't seen anything to warn you about this disaster because it is a fixed event. Nothing you nor I nor anyone else can do will stop this from happening," the voice replied simply. "As for how it starts, just watch."

At that moment, she was shown another vision. Of a towering piece of technology with a glowing red light.

"What is that thing?" she demanded.

"An artificially intelligent computer virus called Venjix," the voice replied. "By using humans as its slaves, it will build a massive army of metallic monsters known as Grinders and conquer most of the world."

Dimitria saw a vision of the gruelling labour camps and the endless armies of Grinders. Both sights filled her with horror.

"Will anything escape it?" she whispered.

"Only a single city will remain standing. This city, known as Corinth, will be the only real safe haven for a extremely small amount of people," the voice replied. "Of course, there will be places where small groups of people have hidden themselves away from Venjix but, for the vast majority of people, there will be no escape from this future until Venjix is destroyed."

"I will not let this happen," Dimitria vowed. "How long have I got to stop this?"

"You won't be able to stop this, Dimitria," the voice warned. "It is a fixed event."

"I do not care," Dimitria exclaimed in a rare outburst of anger. "I will not let this happen."

"It starts tomorrow, Dimitria," the voice said sadly. "And I'm afraid that I can't let you interfere..."

"What do you mean by that?" she demanded as the dream began to fade around her. The voice didn't reply.

Then, everything went white.

_**Inquiris, the night before the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, very late in the evening, a few minutes later**_

_As Dimitria stirred, she could hear Alpha 6 calling her name in worry._

"_Alpha 6..." Dimitria said as she opened her eyes. "It is awful..."_

"_What did you see?" Alpha 6 asked. _

"_Well, I..." Dimitria began. However, her eyes suddenly went wide and, before she could finish, she collapsed into unconsciousness in front of the robotic assistant._

"_Dimitria!" Alpha 6 called in alarm as she rushed over to help her._

_As Alpha 6 tried desperately to arouse Dimitria from her unconsciousness, an invisible hooded figure looked on at the scene in sorrow from the doorway._

I'm sorry, Dimitria. I didn't want to do that to you but you'll understand in the future that it was for the best... _he thought silently in apology. _You'll understand one day that the invasion is a fixed event and, if it doesn't happen, certain other things won't happen either.

_The hooded figure sighed and, without another thought, vanished into thin air just before Alpha 6 turned to look at the spot where he had been standing in moments before._

That's funny... _Alpha 6 thought. _I could have sworn that I sensed someone standing there...


	9. Memories of Promises Part 8: Waiting

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Promises Part 8: Waiting

by Lauraac2110

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early morning**_

_As Billy came into the kitchen, dressed and ready for another day, Cestria was surprised to note that he seemed quite uneasy as he sat down beside her for breakfast._

"_Is everything all right, dear?" she asked as he began to drink up the ghastly liquid that he had survived on for all those years on Aquitar. "You seem uneasy this morning."_

_Billy sighed. "I don't know," he replied. "I've just got that feeling that something is dreadfully wrong today. That's all."_

_He sighed again as he continued with, "I'm probably just imagining things, though."_

_Cestria nodded. "So, what do you plan to do today, Billy?"_

"_Well..." Billy began as he began to outline his plans for the day._

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, mid-morning, some time later**_

"_It sounds like a lot of work, dear," Cestria said after Billy had outlined his plans. "Perhaps I should give you a hand."_

"_No, it's fine, Cestria. I can manage," Billy replied as he finished off his breakfast and stood up. "You just enjoy yourself today, all right?"_

_She nodded but didn't say anything as Billy left the kitchen to go work on his computer. As soon as he was gone, Cestria began to gather up the dishes. Billy's feeling of unease had spread to her and, despite her attempts to brush it off, she couldn't stop thinking about it. _

Why can't I shake the feeling that Billy is right? _Cestria wondered as she took the dishes and began to wash them. _Why do I feel that there is something drastically wrong this morning too?

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late morning, some time later again**_

_When the incoming emergency communication alarm went off, Billy jumped._

Something is wrong... _Billy thought as he quickly answered it. Seconds later, Tommy appeared on-screen and, before Billy could ask what was wrong, the entire building shook as the sound of an explosion going off nearby could be heard._

"_What the hell is happening on Earth, Tommy?" Billy demanded as the communication link was completely established._

"_Billy we've got a major problem! An AI computer virus called Venjix has begun a final war against humanity. I'm safe but I was too late to warn anyone else," Tommy called through the communication link. Billy noticed instantly that Tommy was almost in tears_ _because his family and friends were out there_ _but he appeared to be holding them back because he knew that there was nothing that he could do for them._

My family... Our friends... _Billy thought. _They must be in hell right now... And there's nothing that Tommy or I can do for them... It's all my fault that they're suffering alone...

_Billy shook his head at that moment. _No, I must not think like that. It's not my fault. It's Venjix's fault. _He thought quite firmly. _And there is something that I can do for them. I can help them by convincing Tommy not to do anything stupid.

"_Tommy, there isn't anything that we can do for them now. You're alive and you're going to have to remain in hiding to keep the knowledge of the Power Rangers alive for as long as you possibly can. You've got to do it, Tommy, regardless of the fact that your friends and family are out there, because we can't afford to let Venjix find out about the secrets of the Power Rangers. Venjix will kill you for the knowledge that you possess," Billy said as another explosion went off. The force of the explosion shook the whole Command Centre._

This Venjix must have a massive army. _Billy noted whilst he waited for Tommy, who had simply nodded in response to his words, to come up with a reply._

"_I feel like everything I am is being torn in two. I want to help them, as it's part of my nature, but you're right, Billy. If I go out there, I'll be putting more than myself in danger. I'll be putting the whole world in danger," he finally said._

_Billy nodded as he adjusted his glasses. _I know how you're feeling, Tommy. I'm feeling the same way as you are right now. Although it probably isn't showing... _He thought silently to himself. _And I'm afraid that it's time for you to go in case Venjix traces our communication link.

"_Sometimes, a great hero has to make great personal sacrifices to save the world. You must go now, Tommy, because_ _you'll be in great danger_ _if that computer virus traces this communication. Goodbye, old friend and good luck. __Contact me the day Venjix is destroyed. I'll be waiting for you," Billy said grimly._

_"I will," Tommy promised._

_The communication link instantly shut down at that moment and, once Billy was sure he was alone, he broke down and wept for everyone he had left behind on Earth._

_And that was how Cestria found him several minutes later when she came rushing into the room._

"_Billy... What has happened?" she asked hesitantly._

"_It's..." Billy began as he choked back a sob to begin to tell her about what was transpiring on Earth._

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late morning, several minutes later**_

"_...Oh Billy..." Cestria began in horror and in sympathy. "That's horrible..."_

_Instinctively, she held Billy close and tried to comfort him as best she could._

Why did I have to be right... _Billy thought as he wept._

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early afternoon, some time later**_

_When Billy finally composed himself, the emergency communication alarm went off again._

"_What now?" Cestria wondered as Billy answered the communication. Seconds later, Alpha 6 appeared on-screen._

"_Alpha 6, what seems to be the problem?" Billy demanded._

"_It's Dimitria. She dropped into unconsciousness last night after a vision and I can't seem to wake her," Alpha 6 began in a worried tone. "Ai, Ai, Ai, Billy, I'm really worried about her."_

Could she have perhaps seen this tragedy coming? _Billy thought as he turned pale. _Could it have been too much for her?

"_Billy, you've turned pale. Are you all right?" Alpha 6 demanded. _

"_Well..." Billy began as he began to tell her all about what was transpiring on Earth._

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early afternoon, several minutes later**_

"_Ai, Ai, Ai, that's terrible. Could it possibly be that Dimitria saw it coming?" Alpha 6 exclaimed when Billy had finally told him all about what had happened._

"_That's what I was thinking, Alpha," Billy replied. "We're all going to be extremely busy over the next few days so I need you to take good care of Dimitria for me. Get her sister Divatox to help you."_

"_I will," Alpha 6 promised._

"_And, while you're at it, get in touch with Ninjor and Alpha 5," Billy added. "Ninjor will probably know about what is going on down on Earth but I doubt that he'll know about Dimitria. Besides, I'm in need of their good solid advice right now."_

"_I will. I'll call back when I've spoken to both of them," Alpha 6 promised. "And I'll keep you updated about Dimitria's condition. Bye, Billy."_

_At that moment, Alpha 6 shut down the communication link and Billy sighed._

"_Just great," he muttered. "Just when I didn't think things could get any worse, Dimitria is unconscious and might never wake up."_

"_What are you going to do, husband?" Cestria asked finally._

_Billy was silent for a moment. "I'm going to do what Tommy would do in this situation," he said finally. "I'm going to gather all of the Rangers and their allies out here in Space for a council. Together, we'll decide what our course of action is going to be."_

"_Should I contact Andros?" Cestria asked. Billy shook his head._

"_No, I'll do that. You had better go find Delphine and tell her about what has happened," he replied grimly. "She and the other Aquitian Rangers have got to know about this."_

_She nodded and left. Then, Billy sent out an emergency communication signal to Andros on KO-35._

_Minutes later, Andros replied and he came up on-screen._

"_What's the emergency?" Andros demanded._

"_I'll get to it in a minute," Billy replied. "Is Ashley there with you?"_

_Andros shook his head. "No, she's spending some time with Zhane and Karone today to make up for missing the dinner last night. Why?" he replied._

"_That's good," Billy said simply. "I don't want Ashley to hear what I'm about to say, that's all."_

"_All right, Billy, just what has happened?" Andros demanded. "You never ask that question unless something especially serious has happened that Ashley might not be able to cope with."_

"_Well..." Billy began as he grimly started to tell Andros about everything that had happened. _


	10. Memories of Gatherings: Galactic Council

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Memories of Gatherings: Galactic Council

by Lauraac2110

_**Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early afternoon, some time later**_

"_... So, you see that's what has happened," Billy concluded as he finished telling Andros all about what had happened to Dimitria and Earth._

_Andros was rather pale. For a few moments, he remained silent before he grimaced._

"_This is important news, Billy," Andros said grimly. "As this effects all planets, I think that all of the Power Rangers out here in Space are going to have to gather to discuss what we're going to do from this point onwards."_

_Billy nodded in agreement. "Yes, I agree," he said with a sigh. "Without Dimitria to guide us, I think that it's safe to say that we're going to be quite blind until she wakes up. If we don't stick together and act as one team of Rangers, we could end up easily suffering the same fate as those unfortunate souls that are stuck on Earth right now."_

_Andros nodded. "Alpha 5 should also be notified of what has happened."_

"_Yes, Alpha might just also have some good advice as to how we should respond to this Venjix invasion," Billy agreed. "That robot has been around Zordon for so long that he has bound to have picked up some of the old sage's wisdom. Considering the fact that this is so serious, I think that we're in desperate need of some wisdom and guidance right now."_

_They were both silent for several moments before Andros grimaced again. _

"_All right, here is how we're going to do this. I'll gather all of my Rangers together and contact the Lost Galaxy Rangers whilst you notify Alpha 5 of what is happening and try to get in contact with Trey, the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion," he declared. "We'll meet on KO-35."_

_Billy nodded. "Yes, that would probably be best. It would allow us to talk out of our uniforms without having to worry about being overheard, ambushed by fans or harassed by the media," he chuckled. "If anything, the citizens of KO-35 are extremely discreet. After all, they are the only ones who understand that Rangers don't want glory or fame and that we're only after a normal life."_

_Andros smiled at this. "That's certainly true," he agreed. "I had better go. It's going to take a while for us to contact everyone and gather together on KO-35."_

_"Not to mention the fact that, if we want to avoid attracting suspicion on Mirinoi, we have to gather everyone together as quickly as possible and keep the meeting brief and to the point," Billy added._

"_I'll see you in a few hours, Billy," Andros said before he shut down the communication link. _

_At that moment, Cestria returned with Delphine. Billy turned to them both._

"_Cestria, we're leaving for KO-35," he said grimly. "Andros and I agree that we need to meet up with all the other Rangers to discuss what we're going to do next."_

"_Cestria told me everything, Billy," Delphine said with a saddened expression. "You have my full permission to speak on behalf of the Aquitian Rangers."_

_Billy nodded. "Thank you, Delphine."_

"_And, on top of that, I insist that you borrow my spaceship. It's much faster and more reliable than yours," she continued. _

"_Delphine, I couldn't..." Billy began._

"_Don't protest, Billy. Just go," she said with a grim smile._

_Billy nodded. "We'll tell you everything when we get back," he promised._

"_You had better," Delphine said simply as she followed Billy and Cestria out of their house to the spaceship._

_**KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early afternoon, at that very moment**_

_As he received the faint signal from Mirinoi telling him that his communication had been received, Andros patiently waited for a reply._

_It didn't take very long before Mike Corbett appeared on the screen before him._

"_Andros, my friend, what's wrong?" Mike asked instantly._

_Andros grimaced. "There has been a significant tragedy on Earth," he replied simply._

"_What?" Mike exclaimed as he turned deathly pale. "What happened?"_

_Andros looked at the floor as he sighed._

"_Something really terrible," he answered. "We're holding a Galactic Council here on KO-35 to discuss what happened and our response to it."_

_Mike was surprised. "It's that serious?" he asked._

_Andros nodded. "I'm not going to lie to you, Mike, it is awful. However, I want to save the full details for the Galactic Council."_

_Mike grimaced. "All right, I'll gather the Lost Galaxy Rangers. We'll come to KO-35 as soon as we can get the Astro Megaship up and running again."_

_A small smile came over Andros's face at that moment._

"_Oh, and whilst I remember, I think that I'm going to need my Megaship back," he warned. "I believe I'm going to be making a lot of interplanetary journeys in the next couple of months."_

_Mike nodded. "They'll understand," he assured._

"_See you soon, then?" Andros asked with a smile. Mike nodded in reply._

_Then, before Andros could say anything else, Mike shut down the communication link. He couldn't have done it at a better moment as Ashley entered at that moment._

"_Andros, is everything all right?" Ashley asked. Andros sighed._

"_No," he admitted. "Could you go and gather the other Space Rangers? Something has happened."_

_Ashley, who knew that it had to be something serious for Andros to have such a grim expression on his face, wordlessly nodded and left to carry out his request._

_Andros sighed. _They're definitely not going to like this...

_**KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early afternoon, several minutes later**_

"_Ok, Andros, what has happened?" Zhane demanded._

_Andros didn't meet their gaze as he replied, "There has been somewhat of a tragedy. Billy and I have called a Galactic Council of Rangers here on KO-35 to discuss what has happened and to decide our universal response to it."_

"_What tragedy?" TJ demanded._

"_I don't want to talk about it until everyone else is here," Andros replied to avoid the topic. "Listen, all you need to know right now is that it is exceptionally bad and threatens all of us."_

_He was silent for several moments before he sighed._

"_Could all of you spread the word throughout KO-35 about the council and ask that we're not disturbed?" he asked grimly. "It's so important that I don't want anyone who isn't a Power Ranger to know about what has happened until we can decide what we're going to do about it."_

_The Space Rangers collectively nodded. Although all of them wanted to press Andros for further details, they knew that he wasn't going to tell them anything else. They also knew that it had to have been a major tragedy if Andros wasn't wanting anyone on KO-35 to know about it until after the Galactic Council as well._

_Without saying anything else to Andros, all of the other Space Rangers left him there in the Glade to carry out his wishes. As soon as they were all gone, Andros sat down under one of the nearby trees and completely broke down into tears as the scale of the tragedy finally caught up with him._

This might destroy them... _he thought as he wept. _Just as it might destroy me...

_**Mirinoi, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, mid-afternoon**_

"_All right, Mike, what is so important that we had to drop everything to come straight here?" Leo demanded as soon as all five Lost Galaxy Rangers had arrived. Mike grimaced._

"_Andros has been in touch," he said. "Something especially tragic has happened. There's a Galactic Council being held on KO-35 to discuss what the universal response to it is going to be. I don't know all the details but Andros assures me that whatever has happened is very, very bad."_

_Mike could tell instantly as soon as the unreadable expression came over their faces that the Lost Galaxy Rangers were reluctant to go._

"_Listen, guys, this is important," Mike said after several moments of silence. "I know that all of you don't want to be the Lost Galaxy Rangers any more and I understand why. However, Andros wouldn't call a Galactic Council without the entire galaxy being in great danger. We're going to have to go and hear him out."_

_Kendrix sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with you Mike."_

"_Me too," Maya said grimly. "When are we leaving?"_

"_Right now," Leo replied. _

_Mike nodded. "Yes, we are. Oh, and whilst I remember, Andros said that he is going to be needing his Astro Megaship back so you might want to bring your Jet Jammers with you so that we'll be able to get back to Mirinoi."_

_Damon sighed. "I'll go fetch them," he promised as he left. _

_Kendrix, Maya and Kai went to carry out preflight checks which left Leo and Mike alone in the cockpit._

"_This is, hopefully, going to be the last time that we need to leave Mirinoi," Leo said quietly. "I hope that you've thought up some sort of excuse for Commander Stanton."_

"_I told him that we were helping Maya at her village today," Mike replied grimly. "And that we weren't going to return until late in the evening."_

_Leo nodded and left to join the others. Mike watched him go with a sigh._

Oh Leo... _Mike thought simply._

_**Space, Delphine's spaceship, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, mid-afternoon, at that very moment**_

"_... so you see, Trey, we're going to require your presence at the Galactic Council," Billy was saying over the communication link as Cestria piloted the spaceship at his side. Trey sighed._

"_I'll be there," he promised. "And Billy?"_

"_Yes?" Billy replied._

"_I'm sorry. You've lost a lot of people very dear to you today," Trey said quietly. "Let's hope that our friends on Earth are just as resourceful as Tommy is and find a way to escape the carnage."_

_Billy nodded as the communication link beeped._

"_Looks like someone else is trying to get in contact with me," he noted. "I'll see you later, Trey."_

_Trey of Triforia nodded and deactivated the communication link as Billy activated the other communication link. After a few seconds, Alpha 5 appeared on-screen._

"_Alpha, my friend, it's good to see you," Billy said with a sad smile._

"_Alpha 6 told me everything. I'm going to get in contact with the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger for you," Alpha 5 promised. "Knowing both of them, though, they'll come without any questions to your Galactic Council."_

"_Thanks, Alpha," Billy smiled. "And take care of yourself, you hear?"_

_Alpha 5 nodded. "I will, Billy."_

_Billy deactivated that communication link just as another beep filled the cockpit._

"_My, you are certainly an important person today, Billy," Cestria said teasingly. Billy smiled._

"_I suppose I am," he replied as he activated the third communication link. This time, Alpha 6 appeared on-screen._

"_Alpha 6, I wasn't quite expecting to hear from you again so soon," Billy said in surprise._

"_I've been in touch with Ninjor," Alpha 6 replied calmly. "Understandably, he's exceptionally angry about what has happened. He's asked me to get Divatox and help her to look after Dimitria until she awakens."_

"_And?" Cestria asked._

"_He also said that he would aid everyone if Venjix and his forces spread to space," Alpha 6 continued. "I gathered from the conversation that he's quite bored in the Temple of Power right now. He won't, however, be leaving it."_

_Billy nodded as relief spread across his face. He understand why Ninjor didn't want to leave but at least he knew that Ninjor would do all he could to help them by giving them advice wherever he could. _

"_That's good news," he smiled sadly. "Without Dimitria, we're going to require all the help that we can get."_

"_Yes, we are," Alpha 6 agreed before she sighed. "I'm going to have to go, Billy. I need to attend to Dimitria."_

_Billy nodded. "Call me as soon as she wakes."_

"_I will," the robot promised as she deactivated the communication link._

"_Billy, we're going to arrive at KO-35 soon," Cestria informed him. "I'm slowing down for re-entry."_

_Billy nodded as he prepared himself for a bumpy ride. The last time Cestria had piloted a spaceship, she had managed to crash it into one of the oceans on Aquitar. Hence, he knew that the re-entry was going to be difficult. However, if he could handle being a Power Ranger, Billy was sure that he would be able to handle the re-entry and the landing of the spaceship easily enough. He just had one piece of advice for his wife._

"_Just don't crash, Cestria," he warned. _

_**KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late afternoon, some time later**_

_In the glade, the five Space Rangers had assembled before Andros again after they had spread the word of what was about to happen to the residents of KO-35._

_There were no signs upon Andros's face that he had been weeping in sorrow for everything that had been lost. However, he carried a grim expression upon his face and hadn't said a word to anyone since his commands earlier._

_The other Space Rangers were worried but, before they could ask him about what was bothering him, Billy and Cestria arrived. Their landing was a bit bumpy but, fortunately, their spaceship didn't crash in the glade._

"_Billy, Cestria," Andros said grimly as Billy and Cestria came out of their spaceship a few moments later._

"_Andros," Billy replied equally as grim whilst the other Space Rangers greeted him and his wife excitedly with smiles upon their faces._

"_You haven't told them, then?" he asked calmly. Andros shook his head._

"_No. I thought that it would probably be best to leave you that honour," Andros replied sadly. "It's so horrible that I don't want to have to the bearer of terrible news."_

"_Yes, it probably is better if I tell them," Billy said after considering what Andros had said for a moment. "But I'm going to wait until everyone else has arrived so that I don't have to be the bearer of bad news several times over again."_

"_Did you have any trouble contacting those who needed to know?" Andros asked. Billy shook his head. _

"_I contacted Trey easily enough," Billy replied. "As for the Blue Senturion and Phantom Ranger, Alpha 5 has spoke to them. Alpha 6 has already spoke to Ninjor and Ninjor will aid us if the tragedy spreads to space. He won't, however, be leaving his Temple of Power."_

"_The Lost Galaxy Rangers should be arriving soon enough," Andros promised. "I spoke to Mike on Mirinoi about this although I didn't exactly tell him about what had happened."_

"_I did tell Trey the full story. And I'm sure that Alpha 5 would have told the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger everything as well," Billy admitted. "Trey was upset but I think that he'll be able to cope with it as we are."_

"_And I'm deeply sorry for our losses," Trey added as he entered the glade. "And for yours, Billy."_

_Billy sighed as a pained expression spread over his face. _

"_I've lost more than most of us, I suppose," he admitted after a moment of careful consideration. The five Space Rangers who didn't know about what had happened were puzzled by this._

"_All right, someone tell us what has happened," Cassie demanded._

_Billy shook his head. "Not until everyone has arrived," he replied._

"_Well, who else are we waiting on?" TJ demanded. "Besides, the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Mike, of course."_

"_Well..." Billy began just as the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger entered the clearing._

"_Sorry we're late," the Phantom Ranger apologised._

"_We're glad that we were in the area otherwise we would never have been able to get here on time," the Blue Senturion continued. "Alpha 5 told us everything. It is indeed a great tragedy. The Power Rangers have lost much this day."_

_Billy sighed before he nodded. At that moment, the Astro Megaship landed in the clearing and, after a few minutes, the ramp into the ship was deployed._

"_Come, we had better go inside for this council," Billy said grimly as he led Cestria inside. Everyone followed after __him._

_**KO-35, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late afternoon, several minutes later**_

"_All right, Billy, now that everyone is here. Tell us what happened," Carlos demanded as everyone gathered in the cockpit of the Astro Megaship._

"_Well..." Billy began as he began to tell everyone the full tale._

_**KO-35, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, late afternoon, some time later**_

_From those who didn't know about the great tragedy that had befallen Earth, reactions of horror were prevalent. Ashley's was the worst, though._

_Ashley fled in tears and, after a moment, Cassie, Kendrix and Maya went after her to calm her down._

"_How do you know about all of this, Billy?" TJ asked._

_Billy sighed. "I know about the invasion because of Tommy. He and I were engaged in an emergency communication this morning. He was alive when I last saw him and, personally, I think that he's probably still alive and in hiding right now as I speak," he admitted._

"_If he is still alive, Tommy's odds of surviving in hiding are remarkably slim, Billy," Kai warned. _

_Billy smiled sadly. "For any other Ranger, I would probably agree with you. However, unlike most Rangers, Tommy is an excellent survivor. He's been through things that no other Power Ranger has and, crucially, he has survived them. On top of that, though, he's also one of the most cunning Rangers I know. If anyone can survive through this tragedy, it is him."_

"_Do not underestimate Tommy Oliver," Trey warned. "I am inclined to agree with Billy about him. If anyone can survive this and remain hidden, it is him. Besides, he is also the caretaker to a great deal of Ranger lore. He'll understand that the consequences of Venjix getting his hands upon what he knows will be disastrous so that will make him want to survive even more."_

_At that moment, Kendrix and Maya returned._

"_Cassie is with Ashley. I don't think either of them will be returning any time soon," Kendrix said grimly._

"_Ashley is utterly distraught," Maya warned. "She isn't taking this news very well."_

"_I don't think that anyone is," Damon said with a bitter laugh._

"_Anyway, I think that we should be discussing what we're going to do about this Venjix," Andros said grimly._

"_All we can do is watch and wait," Billy admitted. "If his forces leave Earth, we'll deal with them. Besides that, though, I guess we continue on as normal."_

"_But..." TJ began._

"_Listen to me. There is no way that we could mount a rescue operation," Andros said quite firmly. "If Earth's defences were completely overwhelmed by Venjix's forces, we won't stand any chance of defeating them even together as we are. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens."_

_There were a few grim nods of agreement from the others present and TJ sighed._

"_I guess we'll have to quickly search for our replacements, then," Leo admitted._

"_Replacements?" Cestria asked sharply._

_Mike sighed. "The Lost Galaxy Rangers no longer feel that they are able to risk their lives in defence of innocents. The cost of doing so is just too high for them now. They don't want to let down all those that depend on them for various things in Mirinoi."_

_All the others present were alarmed by this but didn't say anything at Billy's silencing glare._

"_It is, of course, up to them," he said simply. "If that is what you want, guys, none of us will stop you."_

_There were several moments of silence before Andros sighed._

"_I guess that's all we have to say," he said sorrowfully. "This Galactic Council is adjourned."_

"_However, we're all going to keep in touch, aren't we?" Trey suggested._

_Billy nodded. "Yes. If anything important happens, I want to hear about it as soon as you can get in touch with me."_

"_We'll come and see you on Aquitar as soon as possible, Billy," the Blue Senturion promised. "The Phantom Ranger and I just have a bit of unfinished business with an associate of ours on one of the nearby planets to deal with first."_

_Billy nodded._

"_Will you be needing any help?" Trey asked. "I, for one, don't really want to go back to Triforia just yet with this terrible news."_

_The Phantom Ranger smiled. "Sure. We'll tell you the details on the way there."_

_The three of them left at that moment as the Lost Galaxy Rangers sighed._

"_I guess it is our turn," Leo said grimly. "Coming Mike?"_

_Mike shook his head. "Go ahead without me, guys. Andros will take me back to Mirinoi," he promised._

_They nodded and left. As soon as he was sure that they were gone, Mike let out a sigh of relief._

"_All right, Mike, what changed with the Lost Galaxy Rangers?" Andros demanded._

"_As I said, they' re no longer willing to risk their lives in defence of Mirinoi," Mike replied. "However, I believe that many people might get hurt if they don't take up the Quasar Sabers when evil attacks Mirinoi again."_

"_I agree," Billy grimaced. "This change of heart couldn't have come at a worst time, though. We're going to have to keep an especially close eye on them and Mirinoi from now on as well."_

"_Don't worry, I will be," Mike promised. "Unlike them, I realise that they're making a big mistake although I understand why they are doing it. If evil does strike Mirinoi again, I will do my best to convince them otherwise and, if worst comes to worst, I'll take up the Lion Quasar Saber myself to defend the planet."_

"_I hope that it doesn't come to that," Billy said grimly as he thought for a moment._

_Then, he asked, "Do you still have your Magna Defender Morpher?"_

_Mike nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled the charred device out._

"_Yes, why?" he asked._

_Cestria smiled as she guessed what her husband was considering._

"_May I see it?" Cestria asked. Mike instantly handed it over and Cestria closed her eyes._

_After several moments, the device began to glow as Cestria used her telepathic powers to pull forth the most valuable asset of the Magna Defender from the remains of the device._

"_Hold out your hands, Magna Defender," Billy said calmly. Mike obeyed instantly and, after a moment, the damaged sword of the Magna Defender appeared in his hands just as the device stopped glowing._

"_A way to defend yourself without having to take up the Quasar Saber," Cestria said with a smile as she opened her eyes again and returned the damaged morpher to him._

"_Thank you," Mike said as he stared at the sword. "I am probably going to need this."_

"_Yes, you probably are," Billy agreed before he turned to Andros. "Delphine will probably be in touch with you when we get back to Aquitar."_

"_I look forward to speaking to her," Andros smiled. "Goodbye, Billy, Cestria."_

"_Goodbye, Mike, Andros, Space Rangers," Billy replied calmly as he and Cestria left the Astro Megaship._

_At that moment, Cassie and Ashley returned. It was clear that Ashley had been crying but no one said anything about it. Instead, Andros wordlessly took Ashley into his arms._

"_We're leaving for Mirinoi immediately," Andros declared as he grinned to Mike. "We wouldn't want to give Commander Stanton a chance to be too suspicious about Mike's disappearance, do we?"_

"_No, we don't," the other Space Rangers agreed as Mike laughed._

"_I'm going to have to think up some sort of excuse now, aren't I?" he realised. "Especially since the others are probably already back at new Terra Venture by now."_

"_Well, you've got about an hour or so to think about it," Andros reassured. "Zhane, you can pilot today."_

_Zhane nodded. "Thanks, Andros."_

_Minutes later, the Astro Megaship left KO-35 for Mirinoi once Zhane had raised the ramp and run the preflight checks._

_**Mirinoi, Glade, the fateful day of the Venjix invasion two years ago, early evening, some time later**_

_Once Mike had descended the ramp out of the Astro Megaship, he turned to Andros standing just inside the ship._

"_I'll keep the Lost Galaxy Rangers out of trouble and I'll prevent them from doing anything that they might regret," Mike promised. "Hopefully, things on Mirinoi shouldn't descend out of control for the foreseeable future. If they do, I'll get in touch with you or Billy for some help."_

"_I wish you good luck, Mike Corbett," Andros smiled sadly. "I think that you're going to need it."_

"_Good luck to you too, Andros. I'll try to get in touch when I can," he replied._

_Andros nodded. "I'll be waiting," he promised before the ramp ascended again. Mike watched as the Astro Megaship then left to return back to KO-35._

_After a moment, he turned and started to make his way to Terra Venture._

I wonder what I'm going to tell Commander Stanton this time... _Mike mused as he walked. _Especially since my original excuse is no longer valid...


	11. Interlude Memories: Dimitria Awakens

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Interlude Memories: Dimitria Awakens

by Lauraac2110

_**Inquiris, several days before the fateful day of the Accident, early evening**_

_As Alpha 6 worked away at the nearby console, she looked up sharply when she heard a small groan coming from the still form of Dimitria which lay on the bed before her._

After all this time, she can't finally be... _Alpha 6 thought in shock. She watched for a moment but Dimitria didn't move at all._

"_I'm just getting my hopes up," the robotic assistant sighed. "There's no way that she'll..."_

_At that moment, Dimitria turned herself over and Alpha 6 was further shocked._

"_Ai, Ai, Ai, Dimitria's waking up!" she exclaimed as she rushed over to the bedside. "Mistress, can you hear me?"_

_Dimitria groaned as her eyelids fluttered. "Alpha 6..." she whispered as she opened her eyes and struggled into a sitting position. "Why do I feel so weak? Where am I? What happened?"_

"_After that last vision, you collapsed into unconsciousness, Dimitria," she replied. "I..."_

"_Of course, the dream!" Dimitria exclaimed. "Alpha 6, we have..."_

"_If your vision was about an artificially intelligent computer virus called Venjix taking over Earth then I'm afraid to inform you that it has already happened, Dimitria," she replied grimly._

_"How long have I been unconscious?" Dimitria asked._

"_Almost two years now," Alpha 6 replied. "Divatox and I have been caring for you as best as we could all that time, Dimitria."_

"_It was that voice. It just had to have been..." she murmured._

"_Dimitria?" the robotic assistant said slowly. "What do you mean?"_

"_In my dream, there was this voice..." Dimitria began as she closed her eyes. "It showed me horrific images linked to the Venjix invasion..."_

_She paused for a moment. "I was horrified. I vowed to it that I would do all in my power to stop the invasion but it said that I could not do anything to stop the invasion as it was a fixed event. I was still determined to stop it and, just before the dream ended, the voice warned me that it could not let me interfere. After I snapped out of it, I was just about to tell you what I had seen before I dropped into unconsciousness," she continued. "It had to have been that voice that knocked me out. I am sure of it."_

"_I see..." Alpha 6 said. "Dimitria..."_

_Dimitria sighed. Then, she looked away from Alpha 6 as tears spilled out onto her cheeks. There were a few moments of silence before she sighed._

"_Please, leave me," she said simply. "I need some time to adjust to what has happened."_

_Alpha 6 looked at Dimitria before she reluctantly nodded. "All right, I need to go contact Billy anyway. He and Ninjor were especially worried about you, you know. If you need me, just call."_

_Dimitria nodded and Alpha 6 left at that moment. As soon as she was sure that Alpha 6 was gone, Dimitria broke down and wept._

I swear that I will find you._ Dimitria vowed silently whilst she cried as her thoughts turned to the voice. _And I will have revenge for what you did to me to prevent me from trying to save the lives of countless innocents who have been killed because of the Venjix invasion. Even if it is one of the last things I do...


	12. Chapter 1: The Calm Is Broken

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 1: The Calm Is Broken

by Lauraac2110

_Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning_

"Billy, you are awfully quiet this morning. Is everything all right?" Cestria asked. Billy sighed at this as they sat at the breakfast table in the kitchen whilst Billy ate breakfast.

"It has been two years since Venjix invaded Earth. Dimitria woke up a few days ago," Billy said quietly.

He paused for a moment.

"Even now, I still can't believe how remarkably quiet and peaceful it has been out here," Billy continued. "Given the fact that Earth is under evil control, I was almost positive things out here would be perilous at best."

Cestria sighed.

"Neither can I," she admitted. "Things have been exceptionally tense on Aquitar regardless, though."

"Delphine does not want to take any chances," Billy said grimly. "She is worried that we'll be invaded next if we let our guard down. Given what has happened in the past, I do not blame her."

"Neither do I," Cestria admitted.

They sat in silence for several moments before the entire house was filled with a loud wail as various alarms went off. Both Cestria and Billy looked at each other in shock for a moment before both of them made their way through to the computer.

On the screen, several red warning signs had come up declaring a code red emergency. Billy paled significantly.

"It seems that we now have a massive problem on our hands right now," he said grimly as he settled down in the chair in front of the computer and began to rapidly type in lines and lines of code.

"What's wrong, Billy?" Cestria asked.

"A massive wave of evil energy, which appears to have registered as off the charts, is spreading rapidly from Earth," Billy answered. "It appears to be powerful enough to be reviving evils across the universe."

"Oh my," Cestria gasped.

Billy grimaced. "My thoughts exactly."

"Is there any way to trace which ones have returned?" Cestria asked. Billy stopped for a moment as he considered her question for several moments.

"I should be able to trace the ones that are being revived outside of Earth, yes," Billy answered as he started rapidly typing code to analyse the energy signatures that the system was picking up to see which evils were being revived outside of Earth. "However, I won't be able to trace the ones on Earth as my equipment isn't strong enough to get past the debris that has been surrounding that planet since Venjix took over."

Cestria nodded before she asked, "Will you be needing anything?"

"Right now? No," Billy replied as he continued to type away. "But thank you for the offer, Cestria."

She nodded as he turned his full concentration onto analysing the signatures and the wave itself.

_This is very, very bad._ she thought grimly as she watched him at work. _If the number of evils restored turns out to be as significant as I think it is, we're going to have a massive problem on our hands. _

_Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, some time later_

"This is not good at all," Billy said with a grimace as he finally finished his analysis. "With Rita being the only exception, _all _of the villains we faced out in Space are back. The Machine Empire, Divatox, Dark Specter, Scorpius and Trakeena are going to be a major problem since we'll be outnumbered heavily out here."

"Delphine needs to know about this, Billy," Cestria said after a moment of silence between them. "Since she lives nearby, I'll be able to fetch her and be back in a few minutes at most. It is better that she hears this from you directly anyway."

Billy nodded. Cestria left at that moment as Billy sat back on his chair at that moment.

_Just what was so evil to cause such a powerful discharge of evil energy? _Billy wondered before he suddenly realised the answer to that question.

There was only one evil of any importance on Earth at that moment which could, feasibly, be powerful enough to revive the other evils in the universe once destroyed.

Venjix.

If the evils hadn't been revived, Billy would probably be celebrating at the destruction of the artificially intelligent computer virus at that very moment. Instead, he was exceptionally grim.

_I guess it is business as usual. Except, instead of one evil being destroyed and another taking his place, we're up against almost all of the evils we faced previously._ Billy thought grimly. _Fortune does not smile upon Power Rangers today it seems..._

_Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, several minutes later_

"Is it true?" Delphine demanded as she and Cestria entered the room some time later. Billy, who was officially lost in his thoughts at that point, blinked before he turned to her and nodded.

"Yes, it is," Billy answered grimly. "And I think that the destruction of Venjix is responsible for this."

Delphine paled as she leaned against the wall.

"This is very, very bad," she said grimly. "Almost a complete catastrophe. We've come so far and now, it seems, we're heading for another massive war to rival the Space War."

"I think that this war will be even bigger than the Space War, Delphine," Cestria warned. "_Never _have the Rangers had to face so many major villains, and their generals, before. Not even during the Space War."

Delphine nodded.

"You're right, Cestria," she admitted. "I didn't quite see it like that."

"You should have," Cestria countered.

Silence descended between the three of them for several moments before Delphine broke it.

"What do you think we should do, Billy?" she asked.

"You lead the group of Rangers with the biggest, and most exploitable, weakness," Billy answered calmly. "Pure water which, since Earth's take over by Venjix, can _only _be found here on Aquitar. I believe that you and the other Aquitian Rangers should stay here on Aquitar."

"But..." Delphine began. She fell silent as Billy raised his hand to her.

"Let me finish," he said gently. "It is likely that Aquitar will be attacked by some evil or another. By staying on the planet, you will be able to guard your most precious commodity which will prevent an entire race from dying out. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you Delphine?"

Delphine shook her head. Billy smiled.

"However, you would be able to leave Aquitar in emergencies now and again, I'm sure, so you'll get your share of battles," Billy added slyly. Delphine chuckled.

"You know me too well, Billy," Delphine said with a smile. "Far too well."

"I'm an excellent judge of people and their personalities," Billy admitted. "Once I get to know people, I can usually read them exceptionally well although I must admit I'm still as clueless about feelings as I was all those years ago."

"You're learning, though," Cestria smiled.

"True," Billy admitted.

Silence descended for several moments once more before Delphine sighed.

"I'm going to go inform the others about this," she said grimly. "They'll need to know that we'll likely be facing battle again soon enough. I will be back later."

She left at that moment as Billy sighed. Cestria took on a concerned look.

"What is it?" Cestria demanded. Billy sighed again.

"There are probably no more than six or seven Ranger teams, including the ones out here in Space, that are actually active," Billy said grimly. "And have their powers. The rest of the Rangers just so happen to be powerless so they'll be absolutely no use against the villains we're now up against."

"I'm sure that someone will find a way to even up the odds, Billy," Cestria said with a small smile. "We'll always be at a disadvantage in this war, that much is certain, but I don't think we'll be completely and utterly disadvantaged like we are now for much longer. Do you?"

Billy smiled as he shook his head.

"No. Rangers are always usually disadvantaged but, somehow, we find inventive ways to alter the odds in our favour," Billy replied. "If I learned anything during my tenure as a Power Ranger, it was that fact."

Cestria's smile widened.

"Good. Now tell me what you know about the active teams on Earth," Cestria demanded.

"Well..." Billy began as he launched into an explanation of what he knew about the active teams of Rangers on Earth.

_Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later_

"... Interesting. So how many of them do you think escaped the invasion with their powers and team intact?" Cestria demanded.

"One or two teams, I think," Billy answered honestly. "Most of them wouldn't have had the capabilities to hide themselves from Venjix and his forces. And, if they did, a fair few would probably have had to sacrifice their powers to do so."

At that moment, the incoming emergency communication alarm went off and Billy whirled back to the computer. After furiously typing in code for several moments, he paled.

"It's from Tommy," Billy said quietly. "He's still alive."

Tears streamed down Billy's cheeks at that moment before he got up and did an impromptu dance with Cestria.

"Tommy's still alive!" he exclaimed happily. "The lucky survivor!"

Cestria laughed helplessly. "I think that you should calm down right now, Billy," she said gently. "Yes, Tommy's alive. Yes, it is a big deal. However, I think that you should hear his message first before celebrating."

Billy blushed in embarrassment at this as he stopped celebrating and sat back down again.

"You're right, of course," he said. "I was just so happy that he survived against the odds that were stacked against him that I forget myself for a moment. It won't happen again."

He started typing in code furiously for several moments before the message was played so that Billy could analyse it.

"Venjix has been destroyed, Billy, but I bet that you already know. You had better come to Corinth City, Billy, as soon as possible as we've got a massive problem that I'll need you to help to fix. Warn the Rangers who are in space that their greatest enemies have returned!" Tommy said grimly.

_I know that, Tommy... _Billy thought grimly. _Just what do you need me in Corinth City for, though?_

_Aquitar, Billy Cranston's home, late morning, several minutes later_

As he sat at his computer analysing Tommy's message, Billy sighed. It was clear to him that Tommy was going to need his help but he didn't want to leave Aquitar.

He turned to Cestria, who stood behind him, and sighed. He knew that she knew exactly what he was thinking and he was seeking her advice about what they should do.

"I'll pack what we'll need on Earth," she assured him as she made the decision about whether they were leaving or not for him. As she set to work, Billy sighed again.

The universe, as he knew it, would soon change forever. Whether it would change for good, or for ill, he didn't know. All he did know was that Earth, as it usually was, would be in the eye of the storm. Evil knew that the rest of the universe would soon be theirs if they captured the planet.

All that now stood in their way were the Power Rangers of past, present and, hopefully, future. Whether they would be enough to prevent the evils from conquering the universe or not, Billy didn't know either.

All he did know was that things were only going to get more dangerous from this moment onwards. After taking a moment to consider things, he recorded his own message.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," Billy said before he saved the recording and set it to an emergency broadcast so that all Power Rangers and their allies would receive it as quickly as possible.

He then sighed as he shut his computer down. The Power Rangers out in space and their allies were now on their own for the most part since he couldn't do anything else to help them.

Now, he had to concentrate upon helping Cestria pack so that they could leave for Earth as soon as possible.

He just hoped that she had completed the majority of the work without him given the fact that packing was one of his least favourite tasks.

_Aquitar, Grove, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later_

"So you're leaving us then?" Delphine asked grimly as she entered the grove where Billy kept his spacecraft. Billy, who was standing upon the loading platform, nodded.

"Yes," he answered honestly. "Tommy is still alive and needs my help on Earth with a number of problems. I have to go."

"And Cestria? You know that there is no pure water on Earth, she'll die," Delphine stated grimly.

"I have that problem covered, Delphine," Billy assured. "Trust me."

Delphine sighed.

"I do," she assured.

Silence prevailed between them both for several moments before Delphine smiled.

"I wish you good luck with your journey, Billy Cranston," she said calmly. "We'll miss you."

"Cestria and I will be back one day. I promise you that much," Billy assured. "And I wish you good luck here too. Goodbye, Delphine."

"Goodbye," she replied as Billy went into the spacecraft without looking back. The loading platform was retracted as the launch sequence was initiated. Minutes later, the spacecraft took off and quickly flew off into the distance.

Delphine watched it go with a sad smile. She was going to miss Billy and Cestria heavily since they were excellent company especially when she wanted to hide from some of the more annoying residents of Aquitar.

Her attention was quickly distracted from Billy and Cestria as Cestro burst into the grove with a troubled expression upon his face.

"Delphine, Z-Putties have been sighted on Aquitar," Cestro said grimly. "The other Rangers are fighting them right now."

Delphine grimaced. _The calm has been broken already, it seems. _

"Let's go," she said grimly. "Lead the way, Cestro."

Cestro nodded and, together, the two of them rushed out of the grove to go aid their friends in battle.


	13. Chapter 2: Grinders On Triforia

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Grinders On Triforia

by Lauraac2110

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Throne Room, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning_

"Welcome to Triforia, Blue Senturion, Phantom Ranger. It has been a long time since we last met," Trey said with a warm smile as he rose from his golden throne at the top of the Throne Room. He looked exceptionally different from what he had looked like during the last time they had seen him, since he was currently dressed in elegant black and gold finery and now wore a golden circlet. Both the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger instantly assumed that a lot had changed since that fateful evening on Eltar two years ago.

"Trey of Triforia, it is good to see you," the Phantom Ranger said respectfully. "How has life treated you?"

"Quite well," Trey replied quietly. "Although a lot has changed over the past two years. Please, join me in my dining room where we can catch up without being disturbed."

The Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion nodded as they followed Trey out of the Throne Room.

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Dining Room, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, several minutes later_

"So, what have you been up to Trey over the past two years?" the Blue Senturion asked as they sat around the dining table whilst Trey ate his breakfast.

"I've been occupied by Triforian affairs mostly," Trey admitted. "After the deaths of my parents last year, I was forced to take up the Triforian Throne and deal with all that entails. Although things have been relatively peaceful here, I have been dealing with a fair number of land disputes and other potentially inflammatory problems so things haven't been too bad. What about both of you?"

"We've been rounding up galactic criminals who have gone on the run," the Phantom Ranger answered. "For most of the last two years, we've been chasing one particular criminal who we cornered on Mirinoi last week. If he wasn't such a slippery felon, we would've come to see you sooner, Trey."

"Because we've been chasing that criminal for most of the last two years, we haven't been able to keep up with the situation on Earth either," the Blue Senturion added. "Have you heard anything recently, Trey?"

"Well, I did hear from Billy a few days ago. Dimitria is now awake and, as we suspected, she did foresee the start of the Venjix invasion," Trey said grimly. "However, no one has heard anything from anyone upon Earth as of yet unfortunately."

"How are the other Power Rangers?" the Phantom Ranger asked curiously.

"Well..." Trey began as he started to tell them of what little he knew of affairs on Mirinoi, KO-35 and Aquitar.

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Dining Room, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, some time later_

"And that's all that I know," Trey said as he finished his breakfast. "Billy has been keeping me up to date if there has been any new developments on the other planets. Unfortunately, his information has been quite brief at best."

"Well, I..." the Phantom Ranger began.

However, before he could finish, the sound of a massive explosion reached their ears.

_What the hell was that? _Trey thought in surprise as he and his guests instantly got to their feet. Then, they rushed to the Throne Room so that they could find out about what had caused that explosion before it was too late.

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Throne Room, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, several minutes later_

"Report!" Trey demanded as he rushed into the Throne Room with the Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion at his side.

"Your Majesty, a meteor appears to have just crashed into the fields on the outskirts of Triforia," one of the retainers answered as she rushed into the Throne Room. "Due to its size, the explosion it made on impact was felt throughout Triforia."

Trey retrieved his Golden Power Staff from the slot behind the throne and turned to the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger.

"Would both of you like to accompany me whilst I go to investigate this meteor?" Trey asked with a grin upon his face.

"I speak for the Blue Senturion and myself when I say that we would be honoured to accompany you, Trey," the Phantom Ranger assured.

"Then we had better get going," Trey said as the three of them left the Throne Room together as they headed to investigate the meteor.

_Triforia, Trinity, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, some time later_

As the trio headed through the streets of Trinity, the capital city of Triforia, people were fleeing past them and screams of terror were frequent. Widespread panic was completely rife and Trey was rightfully worried.

"Just what is going on?" Trey wondered aloud.

"Whatever it is, Trey, it has to be something very serious," the Phantom Ranger said grimly. "Very, very serious indeed."

At that moment, one of the fleeing citizens, a woman, stopped before Trey.

"Your Majesty, metallic monsters are pouring out of the meteor," she explained with a terrified expression upon her face. "They're attacking everything in sight!"

Trey paled at this as the woman rushed past him at that moment.

"If I were to hazard a guess about their origins, I would say that these metallic monsters are likely Venjix's forces," the Blue Senturion chipped in grimly. "They're here to conquer Triforia, I bet."

Trey paled even further at this.

"We had better go stop them then. I'm not going to let them get their hands upon my home," Trey said grimly. "Come on."

The Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger followed after him as they rushed down the street to get to the outskirts of the town.

_Triforia, Trinity, Outskirts, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, several minutes later_

It was complete carnage when they arrived at the outskirts of the city. The metallic monsters were destroying absolutely everything in sight as they advanced menacingly through the outskirts.

Trey growled. He was not going to stand by and let them destroy his home for very much longer.

"This ends here," Trey said firmly as he held his Golden Power Staff at the ready. "They are not going to destroy any more of my home."

"We're with you, Trey of Triforia," the Phantom Ranger assured. "Morph and let's show these metallic monsters what happens when they cross the Power Rangers and their allies."

Trey nodded as he held his Golden Power Staff out in front of him.

"Gold Ranger Power!" he called as he activated his staff. Seconds later, he morphed as the Blue Senturion pulled out his Senturion Synergizer and switched it into sword mode whilst the Phantom Ranger pulled out his Phantom Laser.

"For Triforia!" Trey called as a battle cry as the three of them charged into battle. Whilst Trey and the Blue Senturion cut a path through the metallic monsters using their weapons, the Phantom Ranger used his Phantom Laser to take out any ones that the two of them missed.

However, it seemed like the horde of metallic monsters would never end since every metallic monster that they destroyed was quickly replaced by another one. Eventually, Trey had officially had enough of fighting the metallic monsters and decided to end this.

Dodging out of the way of an attack by one of the metallic monsters, as he reflected a shot from another of the metallic monsters back at the one that had attacked him, Trey then activated his staff as he held it high in the air.

"Game over," Trey declared as hundreds of golden shots flew out of his staff and destroyed all of the metallic monsters. Additionally, a number of the golden shots hit the meteorite, which appeared to be a crude spacecraft, causing it to self-destruct.

For a few moments after Trey had ended the carnage by destroying the Grinders and the meteorite, he just stood there breathing heavily before he leaned on his staff in exhaustion with an expression of relief upon his face as he powered down.

"Nice move," the Phantom Ranger commented as he put away his Phantom Laser. Nearby, the Blue Senturion also put away his weapon as well before all three of them surveyed the damage.

"It's a complete mess," Trey sighed grimly. "We had better head back to the Royal Palace. I can assure you that there will probably be retainers waiting to brief me on the damage and the casualties when we get back."

Both the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion nodded before all three of them turned to head back to the Royal Palace.

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Throne Room, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later_

"Report," Trey demanded as he entered the Throne Room and sat down upon his throne. One of the nearby retainers came forth at that moment with a grim expression upon his face as the Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion moved to flank Trey at either side of his throne.

"Your majesty, a number of people have been injured today although, fortunately, no one has been killed," the retainer replied. "The damage to the outskirts of the capital has, however, been exceptionally extensive. It's going to take a long time to clear up all of the debris and fix the mess that those metallic monsters have caused."

Trey grimaced.

"See to it that the clean-up operation and repairs are started immediately," Trey commanded. The retainer nodded and he rushed off to see to it that Trey's commands were acted upon.

At that moment, another retainer rushed in.

"Your Majesty," she said respectfully. "You have received a message from Billy Cranston on Aquitar. It's urgent."

Trey paled at this as he got up from his throne.

"Blue Senturion, Phantom Ranger, both of you had better come with me right away," Trey said grimly. "Urgent messages from Billy are never good messages."

With that, the three of them left the Throne Room as Trey rushed to receive the message that Billy had sent him.

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Triforian Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, several minutes later_

"Trey, where are we?" the Phantom Ranger asked curiously as they entered a room which appeared to be an exact duplicate of Zordon's Power Chamber with a few marked differences. The room was painted in gold with the seal of the Triforian Royalty, three silver circles linked together in a triangular form, suspended from the wall where Zordon's energy tube would have been. On top of that, a lot of the machinery seemed much more modern and there were no other decorations to the chamber.

Trey turned to them grimly as he sat at the central control panel in a golden chair.

"Welcome to the Triforian Command Centre," Trey said with a smile. "I had Billy build it a number of years ago after I cashed in on a few favours that Aquitar owes me for various things I've done for them."

Trey then turned his attention to the console where he furiously typed in a number of commands. Seconds later, Billy's message was played on the nearby speakers.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," the message said.

As soon as it had finished playing, the three of them considered everything that Billy had said for several moments.

"It's quite clear, Trey, that those metallic monsters are not the real threat to Triforia," the Phantom Ranger said grimly.

"The return of all of those major villains is something that we should be very, very worried about," the Blue Senturion added. "The universe is in grave, grave danger right now."

Trey, who was already somewhat pale, buried his head in his hands.

"This is not good," he mused. "Everyone on Triforia needs me as their King to keep order. However, everyone in the universe needs me as a Power Ranger more."

"Whatever you do, Trey, your people will support you since you are their King," the Phantom Ranger assured. "They'll understand the necessity of your actions completely."

Trey looked up at the Phantom Ranger with a look of disbelief on his face.

_Yeah, right. _Trey thought in response. _This is a complete disaster. What am I going to do?_

_Triforia's Moon, Escape Vessel, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, at that very moment_

"It's a wonderful day," King Mondo, Emperor of the Machine Empire, said with a wide smile upon his face as he fondly embraced his wife and son upon the escape vessel on Triforia's moon that they had hidden there years ago in case of emergencies. "Now that we are back, we can get back to business."

"And what might that business be?" Queen Machina asked as Prince Sprocket looked to his father curiously.

"Why taking over the universe, of course," King Mondo answered. "What better way to get our revenge than to rule everything with an iron fist?"

King Mondo then turned to Klank and Orbus.

"Get us off of this moon," he commanded. "And head to the nearest planet that used to be operated by the Machine Empire so that I can gather together an army to conquer the universe."

Klank and Orbus nodded in reply as they turned to the console to set to work.

"Father," Prince Sprocket said with a malicious expression. "We'll get our revenge on those Power Rangers too, won't we?"

"Yes, Sprocket. We will," King Mondo assured. "By the time that I'm done, I'll make sure that they regret the fact that they stood defiantly against the mighty Machine Empire."

_Triforia, Royal Palace, Triforian Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later_

As the alarms in the Command Centre went off, Trey instantly leapt into action to see what had set them off. He very quickly turned pale as he realised that they had a major problem.

"Well?" the Phantom Ranger demanded.

"Sensors have picked up a previously undetected escape vessel leaving Triforia's moon," Trey said grimly. "It's King Mondo, Queen Machina, Prince Sprocket and their loyal underlings Klank and Orbus."

Both the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger grew grim.

"What are you going to do, Trey?" they asked grimly. Trey looked at the floor for a moment before he made his decision. Being a Power Ranger and defending the universe was more important than ruling over Triforia. The universe needed him, as the Gold Zeo Ranger, to slow down the Machine Empire for as long as possible since the Machine Empire was so vast that the universe would fall easily to King Mondo if the Power Rangers weren't ready to defend it from him and his forces.

"I'm going after Mondo to try to slow the Machine Empire down and buy Tommy time to gather the Rangers together and to thin out the ranks of the great evils," Trey answered finally. "If I hurry, I should be able to follow the residual trail that Mondo's escape vessel appears to have left. When I finally catch up with the Machine Empire, which should be pretty easy, I'm going to enact Operation Sabotage."

"And what might Operation Sabotage entail?" the Blue Senturion asked curiously.

"I'm going to disrupt the Machine Empire's efforts by keeping them away from potential allies, and Earth, for as long as I possibly can. I might even destroy a few key Machine Empire operations here and there as well," Trey answered.

Trey then paused for a moment as he took a deep breath.

"It's the right thing to do," he continued. "Mondo is the most dangerous villain around, in terms of the size of the armies that he could easily produce, so it would spell doom for the universe if the Rangers aren't ready to stand against him by the time that he heads for Earth. And, given Mondo's ego, I'm fairly certain that he'll head to Earth as soon as he is ready since it is one of the few planets to ever have successfully stood against him."

The Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger conversed quietly for several moments before both of them turned to Trey.

"We're coming with you," both of them declared simultaneously.

"Why?" Trey replied in surprise.

"We made a promise to you, two years ago, on Eltar that we would drop everything and come to your aid if you ever needed us," the Blue Senturion reminded him. "And we never go back upon our promises."

"Besides," the Phantom Ranger added. "There's no way that we're going to let you do something so dangerous on your own. It would be much easier to sabotage the Machine Empire's efforts if we worked together as a team to protect each others backs."

Trey was silent for several moments before he grimly nodded.

"I would be honoured to work with both of you," he said. "Once I have had informed my retainers of my decision, we'll leave for whatever planet Mondo is heading to. Come with me."

Both of them nodded as the three of them moved to leave the Triforian Command Centre.

_On that subject, just what am I going to tell my retainers this time? _Trey thought grimly as they left.


	14. Chapter 3: A Sister Lost

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 3: A Sister Lost

by Lauraac2110

_Inquiris, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, Eight O'Clock_

The ear-splitting scream jolted Dimitria awake that fateful morning as Alpha 6 jumped in fright.

"Alpha 6, where did that scream come from?" Dimitria demanded as she slid out of bed. Alpha 6, who was working at the console, furiously typed in a number of commands to calculate the source of the scream. Seconds later, the robotic assistant turned to Dimitria.

"Dimitria, the scream came from Divatox's quarters," Alpha 6 informed her. "She has probably had another nightmare again of her days as an evil space pirate."

Dimitria grimaced at this.

"Do you want me to contact her and put her on-screen?" Alpha 6 asked. Dimitria shook her head.

"No, if Divatox wants to talk about it, I am sure she will come here anyway. Continue with your work, Alpha 6," she answered. Alpha 6 nodded and turned her attention back to the console.

Dimitria, on the other hand, dressed and sat back on her bed again. She was feeling exceptionally uneasy at that moment. Despite wanting to believe Alpha 6's presumptions about her sister having another of her nightmares, a gnawing doubt lingered in the back of her mind. She felt that there was something very, very wrong although nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

For a moment, Dimitria considered what she was going to do before she put her feelings and doubt to one side.

After all, everything appeared as it had been for the last two years on Inquiris from what Divatox and Alpha 6 had told her since she had woken up. Peaceful and quiet.

Little did she realise at that moment just how soon that peace and quiet would be shattered forever.

_Inquiris, Divatox's Quarters, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, at that very moment, Five Minutes Past Eight_

When the burst of evil energy that Venjix had released had hit Divatox, she had screamed as pain shot through her entire body to transform her back into the evil space pirate that she had once been long ago before Zordon's purifying wave of energy had turned her into a powerful force of good.

Now, though, she was laughing evilly as her minions, Rygog, Elgar and Porto stood before her along with her brother General Havoc.

"It feels so good to be evil again," Divatox finally said as she sat up and composed herself.

"So, sister, what are we going to do now?" General Havoc demanded. "Now that we're back and you're evil once again, that is."

"I am going to get revenge on our goody-goody sister, Dimitria, by destroying that which is most precious to her first," Divatox answered as she stood up. "Care to join me, dear brother?"

General Havoc grinned and nodded as Divatox turned her attention to her minions.

"Rygog, take Elgar and Porto and go secure us an escape vessel since we'll be leaving immediately after I've gotten my revenge upon my sister," Divatox commanded.

"As you command," Rygog replied respectfully before he left with Elgar and Porto. Divatox then turned to her brother.

"Follow me," Divatox said calmly as both of them left her quarters behind.

_Inquiris, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, Eight Thirty_

When Divatox and General Havoc burst into the room, they had the element of surprise on their side.

Before Alpha 6 could protect Dimitria by activating the defence grid and disabling the system, General Havoc and Divatox had deactivated the robotic assistant by removing her power source and disconnecting a number of important wires that connected to the robotic assistant's hard drive. They then threw her aside as both of them turned to a shocked Dimitria.

"Hello, sister," both of them said coldly.

"How... Why..." Dimitria began.

"I have been restored to what I should be," Divatox said coldly as she hauled her sister off of her bed and threw her onto the floor. "And, now, I can get my revenge."

"Divatox, please stop this. This is not you," Dimitria begged as she tried and failed to get back up onto her feet since Divatox simply threw her back down onto the floor again. General Havoc had an exceptionally amused expression upon his face.

"I must admit, sister, I never once believed that I would ever see you stoop so low," General Havoc said coldly as he regarded Dimitria with a look of disdain. "Begging is supposed to be beneath you."

Dimitria didn't reply to him as she glared at him with an expression of pure hatred upon her face as Divatox moved over to the console and began to furiously input a number of commands. When she was almost finished, she looked up with a smug look of satisfaction upon her face as she continued to input the last of the commands she needed to enact her revenge.

"In a moment, I am about to destroy everything precious to you, Dimitria, in revenge for everything that you've ever done to me," Divatox said coldly as Porto entered the room.

"Divatox, Rygog and Elgar have secured your escape vessel," Porto informed her. Divatox smiled at this as she finished inputting her commands.

The lighting in the room turned red and, after that, the self-destruct message appeared on the screen in the console. On top of that, a warning alarm started to sound. Dimitria paled.

"As you should know, Dimitria, the self-destruct sequence has now been activated," Divatox said with a cold smile. "In almost three hours from now, at precisely eleven thirty, this facility will explode and destroy your precious Inquiris. Goodbye."

With that, Divatox, General Havoc and Porto left without another word. As soon as they were gone, Dimitria of Inquiris instantly set to work on reactivating Alpha 6 and hoped, with all her heart, that she would manage to restore her robotic assistant before it became too late tosave her precious home planet.

_Inquiris, Escape Vessel, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, Nine Fifteen_

"Get us out of here, Porto," Divatox commanded once the escape vessel was ready to take off and all of her minions were inside of it. "Take us to the nearest trade planet where we can steal a warship so that we can take over the universe and get our revenge on the Power Rangers."

"Yes, Divatox," Porto answered as he started the launch sequence. Seconds later, the escape vessel took off.

_Inquiris, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, some time later, Five Minutes Past Ten_

Once Dimitria finally reconnected Alpha 6's power source and harddrive, the robotic assistant instantly came back on-line and looked around in confusion.

"Dimitria, what happened?" Alpha 6 demanded. "My memory banks have been corrupted so I do not recall how I was deactivated."

"Somehow, Divatox has turned against us once again," Dimitria said mournfully. "She and my restored brother Havoc, along with her newly restored minions, came here and deactivated you. Then, they set off the self-destruct sequence before they fled. It has taken me just under an hour and a half to reactivate you. I do not believe that we have much time left to stop the self-destruct sequence before Inquiris is destroyed."

"Ai, Ai, Ai, that is not good. I will attempt to disable the self-destruct sequence immediately," Alpha 6 said as she rushed to the nearby console and started to furiously type in a number of commands as she tried to deactivate the self-destruct sequence.

_Inquiris, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, several minutes later, Ten Fifteen_

It was a short time later that Alpha 6 admitted defeat after she had tried almost everything she could to deactivate the self-destruct sequence. Nothing had worked because, unfortunately, Divatox had set the system to disable itself when Dimitria or Alpha 6 tried to override the self-destruct sequence.

"Alpha 6, what are we going to do?" Dimitria wondered aloud quietly as the robotic assistant turned to her.

"There's only one way that we can save Inquiris now, Dimitria," Alpha 6 said grimly. "We'll need to pull the manual self-destruct sequence override lever to deactivate the self-destruct sequence. Unfortunately, though, there is a small problem."

"Which is?" Dimitria demanded.

"My head is too wide so I won't be able to enter the duct that it is in," Alpha 6 said grimly. "It was deliberately designed that way so that no one could reprogram me to manually activate the self-destruct feature to destroy you."

Dimitria grimaced as she closed her eyes for several moments before she suddenly realised something very important. Alpha 6 wouldn't be able to fit into the duct? But what about her?

"Alpha, would I be able to fit into the duct?" Dimitria demanded.

"Yes," Alpha 6 answered in surprise. "Why?"

"I will deactivate it personally if I have to," Dimitria answered. "Tell me about the location of the duct and the defences around the lever."

"The duct is behind Divatox's wardrobe in her quarters," Alpha 6 answered. "The lever is right at the very end of the duct and, if I remember correctly, it is hidden behind a panel that will only open after a retinal scan has been performed to identify you. On top of that, it is also protected by a number of defences which can only be deactivated by your voice."

Dimitria grimaced.

"We had better hurry to Divatox's quarters then," Dimitria said grimly. "Come, Alpha 6."

With that, both of them rushed out of the room to Divatox's quarters. Both of them knew that their time was almost running out and were determined to save Inquiris before it was too late.

_Inquiris, Divatox's Quarters, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later, Eleven O'Clock_

As soon as they had entered Divatox's quarters, Dimitria quickly shifted Divatox's wardrobe to one side and Alpha 6 quickly set to work on opening the grille.

After several moments, the grille swung open with a squeak and Alpha 6 turned to Dimitria.

"I can only wish you good luck, Dimitria," she said simply. Dimitria nodded wordlessly before the robotic assistant helped her into the duct and, without looking back, she scrambled to get to the manual override. They didn't have a lot of precious time left before the self-destruct sequence would activate and destroy her precious Inquiris forever which Dimitria was not going to allow to happen if she could help it.

_Inquiris, Maintenance Duct, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later, Eleven Twenty-Five_

As soon as she arrived at the end of the duct, she knew that she didn't have a lot of time left. Almost instantly, she located the retinal scanner and activated it.

_Eleven Twenty-Six..._

Once it had scanned her eyes and confirmed that she was indeed _the _Dimitria of Inquiris, the panel in front of her slid aside to reveal the manual self-destruct sequence override lever which was protected by a glass box.

_Eleven Twenty-Seven..._

Dimitria grimaced. Alpha 6 hadn't told her about the glass box...

Unless, of course, it was one of the defences that could be deactivated by her voice.

"Deactivate all defences around the lever," Dimitria commanded aloud.

_Eleven Twenty-Eight..._

The glass box slid away to reveal the manual self-destruct override sequence lever. Dimitria quickly scrambled closer to the lever so that she could deactivate the self-destruct sequence.

_Eleven Twenty-Nine..._

Dimitria of Inquiris instantly pulled the lever down and waited for the self-destruct sequence to deactivate.

_Eleven Thirty..._

After no signs of anything happening, Dimitria closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

_Eleven Thirty-One._

Hesitantly, Dimitria opened her eyes again as the alarms abruptly stopped and the lightning returned to normal.

It took her a few moments to realise that she had done it.

She had saved Inquiris.

Almost instantly, she sighed in relief as she closed her eyes again for a moment before a small smile spread across her face.

_It seems that your attempt at revenge against me, Divatox, failed. _Dimitria thought grimly in sorrowful satisfaction as her small smile vanished. _I saved Inquiris from destruction. And Alpha 6 and I are relatively unharmed although a number of Alpha's circuits may need a few minor repairs._

For a few minutes, Dimitria remained next to the lever as she let the sorrow that she felt because of the loss of her sister to evil consume her before she brushed it aside and slowly turned to return to Alpha 6's side.

_Inquiris, Divatox's Quarters, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later, Twelve Noon_

When Dimitria emerged from the duct, Alpha 6 enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Ai, Ai, Ai, you did it!" Alpha 6 exclaimed happily. "You saved Inquiris, Dimitria!"

Dimitria, however, wasn't in such a celebratory mood and Alpha 6 saw this.

"Dimitria, what's wrong?" Alpha 6 demanded quietly.

"I have lost my sister, Alpha 6," Dimitria answered. "That what is wrong."

Alpha 6 sighed grimly at this.

"We'll get Divatox back, somehow, Dimitria," Alpha 6 vowed after a moment. "I'm sure of it."

Dimitria sighed before she nodded.

"Come, Alpha 6, we had better go see if the system has been reactivated now that the self-destruct sequence has been disabled," she said grimly.

Alpha 6 nodded and, wordlessly, both of them left Divatox's quarters behind.

_Inquiris, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later, Twelve Thirty_

As they entered the room, Alpha 6 instantly set to work at the console as Dimitria returned to her bed, thoroughly exhausted, and lay down.

"Dimitria, the system has been restored," Alpha 6 confirmed. "And you have a message from Billy on Aquitar."

Dimitria sat up at this.

"Play the message," she commanded. Alpha 6 nodded and quickly typed in the required commands to play the message.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," the message said.

"Well that explains why Divatox has become an evil space pirate again," Alpha 6 muttered. "And it also explains why General Havoc and her minions have returned as well."

Alpha 6 then turned to Dimitria.

"What are we going to do, Dimitria?" Alpha 6 asked.

"We're going to do what I've always done," Dimitria answered with a small smile. "Watch, wait and intervene when my help is required."


	15. Chapter 4: Mayhem On Mirinoi

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 4: Mayhem on Mirinoi

by Lauraac2110

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Mike Corbett's Apartment, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning_

As they gathered for breakfast that fateful morning, all five of the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Mike, the Magna Defender, were feeling extremely uneasy. Something felt wrong but, no matter how hard they tried, none of them could quite pinpoint exactly what was amiss.

Eventually, only Mike remained exceptionally uneasy since the five Lost Galaxy Rangers quickly dismissed their feelings as them just being paranoid as they talked about what they were going to do today.

"Mike and I are going to be working at the Command Tower handling the running of the city as usual," Kai said grimly.

"Leo is on duty today with both of you as well," Kendrix chipped in. "The second Head of Security is currently sick and, since they couldn't find anyone else, Commander Stanton asked Leo to take over for her until she is better."

"That's great," Kai said with a grin. "You can tell me all about that time when you were both younger, Leo, where Mike nearly..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Mike said quickly in warning as he smirked. "Remember, that I hold plenty of blackmail material on you, Kai. You ask about that time and I'll tell them about the time that you and Damon got drunk and..."

Kai flinched at this but sighed and held his hands up in defeat whilst Damon grew somewhat embarrassed.

"All right, I won't ask," Kai promised.

"So, what about you Damon?" Leo asked curiously.

Damon smiled.

"I'm doing what I do best," Damon replied with a grin. "There's a fried circuit board in the suburbs which controls the flow of electricity for a number of apartment blocks. I'm going to be replacing it today."

"Unfortunately, I'm going to be patrolling Terra Venture again today since my lab was accidentally destroyed last week in that fire which struck a small part of the southern half of the city. The builders told me that it's going to take at least a month for them to rebuild and restock my lab appropriately. Commander Stanton felt that transferring me temporarily to the security forces was the best way to keep me occupied in the meantime, though, so I won't get bored any time soon," Kendrix added. Maya smiled at that moment.

"Jera and I are going to be working with the tribe," Maya smiled. "He's teaching me even more of the things that I need to know to lead the tribe successfully. Some of the legends of the tribe are really, really fascinating, you know. Like that the prophecy about the rebirth of the greatest evils which states that..."

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Mike Corbett's Apartment, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, some time later_

Once all of them finished their breakfast and Maya had finished telling them all about the prophecy, Kendrix and Leo quickly cleared away the plates. Then, all of them went their separate ways to carry out their tasks for the day.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, some time later again_

"... And, after I connect that wire there, and this wire here...," Damon muttered as he worked on the final steps to install the new circuit board. "And that wire there..."

As he connected the final wire, a satisfying beep from the monitor connected up to the circuit board told him that he had successfully replaced the circuit board so he smiled as he wiped the sweat from his brow. After a few moments, in which he ran a final check over the newly installed circuit board to check that everything was in order, he then shut the door to the circuit box before locking it with the key around his neck to protect the circuit board from tampering.

_With that done, I think that my work for the day is over. _Damon thought in satisfaction as he packed up his various tools into his toolbox.

It was when he turned around to leave after he had picked up his toolboxes that they struck. Out of nowhere, numerous Sting Wingers leapt from the roofs of the nearby apartment blocks to surround him.

_Sting Wingers? But that's impossible. _Damon thought in shock.

As the Sting Wingers rushed at him, Damon quickly recovered from his shock. He dropped his toolboxes and instinctively moved into a familiar pattern as he dodged an attack from one Sting Winger, attacked another and leapt over a third to avoid being thrown to the ground.

Eventually, as he continued fighting the Sting Wingers, he noticed that every single Sting Winger that he had defeated was being replaced by another which leapt into the battle from a position on one of the nearby roofs. He grimaced at this.

_Just where are they all coming from? _Damon wondered as he continued to fight them.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, at that very moment_

Kendrix wasn't used to being taken by surprise. And, boy, had the Sting Wingers surprised her.

Whilst on her patrol, she had suddenly heard screaming and, when she had gone to investigate, she had found people fleeing in all directions from the Sting Wingers.

She was glad that she was on duty, which meant that she had her gun with her, otherwise she likely wouldn't have been able to distract the Sting Wingers so effectively to give time for the innocent people in the area to flee in terror. Unfortunately, though, her gun quickly jammed so she now found herself fighting the Sting Wingers the old fashioned way just as the final few innocents in the area escaped the chaos that the Sting Wingers had created.

She wasn't, however, having the same problem as Damon was at that very moment. The Sting Wingers that she was fighting weren't being replaced by another Sting Winger every time that she took one of their number down. At the rate that she was going at, though, it was going to take her a while to take down all of them since she was heavily outnumbered by Sting Wingers in the street.

Kendrix didn't let that fact bother her, though. Instead, she concentrated firmly upon defeating the Sting Wingers before they managed to land a lucky blow on her and overwhelm her.

_The Sting Wingers shouldn't be here. Something is very wrong right now. _Kendrix thought as she fought.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, also at that very moment_

As Leo, Mike and Kai worked on the consoles in the Command Tower at that very moment, the first reports of sightings of Sting Wingers throughout Terra Venture came in from a number of the security personnel.

"Commander, your orders?" Kai said as he turned to Commander Stanton who was sitting at his desk with a grim expression upon his face.

"I hope that the Power Rangers are still around to deal with the Sting Wingers since there are just too many of them for us to deal with on our own," Commander Stanton replied grimly. "Take us to Red Alert and give the orders to all security personnel that they are to defend the citizens of Terra Venture and to keep the Sting Wingers away from the Command Tower."

"Yes, sir," Kai said respectfully as he turned to the console and began to furiously type in the code to activate the red alert system whilst Leo and Mike shared a grim look.

_It has started, it seems. _Mike thought grimly. _You have a choice to make very soon, Leo. If you don't choose to take up the mantle of a Power Ranger again, I will have no choice but to try to make you see sense even if I have to risk revealing that you and the others are the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers to Commander Stanton. If you still don't see sense then, I'll take up the Lion Quasar Saber myself to protect Mirinoi from harm._

At that moment, he was distracted from his thoughts as the lighting in the Command Tower turned red and alarms sounded throughout the building just as Kai opened the security communications channel.

"This is the Command Tower, Red Alert has been activated," Kai said grimly into the microphone built into the console. "I repeat Red Alert has been activated. Sting Wingers have been sighted throughout the entire city. All security personnel are to defend the citizens of Terra Venture and to keep the Sting Wingers away from the Command Tower. Commander Stanton's orders."

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later_

When Kendrix finally got rid of the last of the Sting Wingers that she had been facing, she instantly rushed through the streets to Damon's aid since she knew that he was likely to be the one needing the most help at that moment. Knowing the Sting Wingers like she did, they would likely have heavily targeted any of the Power Rangers that they came across and, since he was completely on his own without any means to defend himself beyond his fists, he would be at a rather big disadvantage against the Sting Wingers.

A few minutes later, she finally found him surrounded completely by Sting Wingers. He was lying on the ground, clutching his shoulder, and the Sting Wingers were slowly closing in on him.

"Damon!" she called as she used the element of surprise to punch a hole through the ring of Sting Wingers around him before she got him to his feet and pulled him to safety outside of the ring of monsters before the Sting Wingers could react.

"Thanks, Kendrix, I owe you one," Damon said gratefully. "If you hadn't come along, I would be toast right now."

Kendrix smiled at him.

"It was my pleasure, Damon," she replied as the Sting Wingers started to advance towards them. Both of them got into fighting stances at that moment as they grimaced.

"Let's show these Sting Wingers why they shouldn't mess with former Rangers," Damon said firmly as both of them charged into battle against the Sting Wingers.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, at that very moment_

As the door slid open behind them, Commander Stanton, Mike, Leo and Kai turned to see High Councillor Renier and Councillor Brody enter the room.

"Report," she demanded.

"Ma'am, Sting Wingers have appeared throughout the city," Commander Stanton said grimly. "And no one has seen the Power Rangers yet either."

"I wonder why they haven't yet come to aid Terra Venture," High Councillor Renier wondered aloud.

It was at that moment that Mike had finally had enough of waiting for Leo to make the necessary choice. It was time for him to step in.

Now all he had to do was find a way to get Leo somewhere private so that he could try to convince him to take up his Quasar Saber again to defend Terra Venture.

Fortunately for him, one of the generators that provided power to the Command Tower shut down at that moment presenting him with the opportunity that he desperately needed.

"Leo, Mike, Kai, go down to the generator room and restore that generator as quickly as you possibly can," Commander Stanton commanded. "I'll take over here."

Mike, Leo and Kai got up at that moment as Commander Stanton quickly took over from them at the console.

"Yes, sir," Mike said respectfully before the three of them rushed out of the Command Centre.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Corridor, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, a few minutes later_

"Kai, could you go on ahead?" Mike asked quietly as soon as they were out of the Command Centre. "I need to talk to Leo for a moment."

Kai gave him a funny look before he nodded and rushed off to the generator room. Leo turned to his brother at that moment and regarded him with a confused look.

"What's up, Mike?" Leo said questioningly.

"Not here," Mike hissed before he dragged Leo down into one of the dead-end corridors.

"Well?" Leo demanded.

"Leo, I'm afraid that it's time," Mike said softly as soon as he was sure that there was no one around to overhear their conversation.

"What do you mean, Mike?" Leo asked.

"It's time for you and the other Lost Galaxy Rangers to take up the Quasar Sabers again," he replied calmly. "You know that Terra Venture will be destroyed by the Sting Wingers if you don't."

"Mike, I won't..." Leo began stubbornly. Mike stopped Leo, though, in mid-sentence.

"This isn't about what _you _nor the others want any longer," Mike snapped. "If all five of you don't take up the Quasar Sabers, everyone in Terra Venture will be destroyed, even the people who care about you and depend upon you, Leo, since the Sting Wingers are just too much for the security personnel to handle on their own. Do you want that to happen?"

Leo remained silent as Mike's expression softened somewhat once he had managed to calm himself down.

"Listen, I understand why all of you desperately don't want to take up the Quasar Sabers again. However, I'm afraid that there is no other option now. Sometimes, heroes have got to make big personal sacrifices to save the universe and this is one of those times," he said grimly before he stated, "Without the Lost Galaxy Rangers, Terra Venture is doomed. Please, Leo, do the right thing for Terra Venture and its citzens by taking up the Lion Quasar Saber again. Please."

Leo was silent for several moments as he looked away from his brother with a somewhat haunted look in his eyes as he considered Mike's words.

"Mike, I just can't bear the thought of what would happen to Kendrix if anything happened to me," Leo admitted quietly as he looked his brother in the eye again. "I don't want her to ever have to go through what I went through when she was almost killed all those years ago."

Mike sighed at this. _I know how you feel, Leo, but it's a risk that you are going to have to live with now. For the survival __of Mirinoi and Terra Venture as a whole depends upon it._

"I know how you feel, bro," he replied simply aloud after a moment. "However, you _have _to take up the Quasar Sabers again. If you don't, the Sting Wingers will destroy Terra Venture. Do you want that to happen?"

Leo was silent for several moments before he grimaced and shook his head.

"No, I don't," Leo answered honestly. "For they would also destroy everything that I've ever cared about too in the process, wouldn't they?"

Mike smiled in relief as he nodded. It seemed like he had finally gotten through to his brother successfully.

"All right, Mike," he said sadly after another few moments of silence. "You've convinced me. I'll do it."

Mike's smile vanished at that moment as a plan of action formed in his mind.

"Listen, I've got a plan. You get the others and go retrieve the Quasar Sabers," Mike explained. "I'll stay here to protect the Command Tower whilst you are gone."

"But Mike, you don't..." Leo began.

"I may not have my powers as the Magna Defender," Mike said. "I do, though, have the sword. It's all I'll need to take on any Sting Wingers that come here."

"But how..." Leo began.

"Billy's wife, Cestria, managed to pull it from the remains of my morpher during the Galactic Council meeting two years ago," Mike explained. "I'll tell you the full story later on once you've dealt with the Sting Wingers. Now go."

"Mike, I..." Leo began.

"Go," Mike barked. "We'll talk later."

Leo nodded and, without another word, the two brothers went their separate ways with determined expressions upon their faces.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Generator Room, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, a few minutes later again_

When Leo entered the generator room, he was surprised to find that Kai had already restored the generator that had shut down.

"Where's Mike?" Kai asked instantly.

"Not coming," Leo answered grimly. "He's gone to fetch something."

Leo then paused for a moment.

"So, what was wrong with the generator?" he asked curiously. Kai smiled at this.

"The cable which connects the generator to the circuits that run throughout the entire Command Tower was loose," Kai answered. "All I had to do was reconnect it again and, voilà, the generator came back on line."

Kai then took on a grim expression.

"What did Mike want to say to you?" he asked bluntly. Leo took a deep breath.

"He wants us to take up the Quasar Sabers and become the Lost Galaxy Rangers to defend Mirinoi again," Leo answered. Kai was about to protest at this but Leo raised a hand to stop him before he continued with, "Hear me out first, Kai."

Kai reluctantly nodded.

"He said that all of Terra Venture would be destroyed if we didn't take up the Quasar Sabers to defend Mirinoi from the Sting Wingers," Leo said grimly. "Along with everything that we cared about. And he's right."

"And, before you protest that there must be some other way, Mike has firmly convinced me that there is not," Leo continued. "Which is why I'm going to be taking up my Quasar Saber again. Whether you do the same or not, though, is completely up to you."

Kai sighed at that moment before he smiled grimly.

"If I were to let you go against the Sting Wingers on your own, I'd be betraying everything that I've always stood for," Kai said grimly. "I'm with you. I'll do it."

Leo grinned.

"Then, we had better go find Damon, Kendrix and Maya," he said calmly. "And find out whether we're going to be going it alone or not."

Kai nodded and, together, the pair of them rushed out of the generator room to find their friends.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Mike Corbett's Apartment, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, at that very moment_

Mike Corbett was glad that he had chosen a ground floor apartment just around the corner from the Command Tower, and that the Command Tower itself had a high speed lift system, because it meant that it was unlikely that he would be missed by Commander Stanton or the other members of the Terra Venture High Command if he retrieved what he had come back home for quickly enough.

At that very moment, he was currently rummaging through his wardrobe in his bedroom to get to the secret panel at the back of it. Once he had managed to reach the panel, he pulled it open and pressed the button which it concealed.

Behind him, the drawer concealed underneath his bed unlocked and Mike smiled. Once the Astro Megaship had dropped him off two years ago, he had hidden his sword and morpher in a spot that only he knew of in the jungle before he had reported to the Commander to give his excuses for being gone so long.

Given the fact that hiding the weaponry of the Magna Defender in the open where anyone could accidentally stumble across it was just too great a risk, Mike had built this secret drawer under his bed to protect and conceal his damaged sword and morphers from both the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Terra Venture as a whole.

Until now, he had only occasionally opened the drawer to check that the sword and morphers had not been stolen so the hinges had unfortunately had time to rust slightly which meant that, at first, the drawer wouldn't budge as he tried to pull it open.

Finally, the drawer squeaked with some protest when he finally managed to tug it open to reveal that both the sword and morpher were still lying there exactly in the same condition as he had last seen them in.

Gingerly, Mike withdrew the damaged morphers from the drawer and strapped them to his wrists before he pulled his sleeves down over them to conceal them. He hadn't worn his morphers since the day that they had self-destructed all those years ago until now so he was quite surprised to feel that they still felt cool and comforting against his skin. They also had an extremely faint glow to them despite the fact that they were unlikely to work ever again.

He sighed. He knew that he would never be able to don the armour of the Magna Defender ever again but that didn't mean that he wasn't still the Magna Defender at heart. And it didn't mean that he was going to miss out on some of the battles either.

Carefully, he took out the damaged sword at that moment before he shut the drawer. Even after all this time, it hadn't rusted like the hinges of the drawer and it was still deadly sharp despite the fact that it was badly damaged in places. A smile crossed his face as he reconfigured it into his Magna Blaster and hid it in his belt in place of the standard gun that all security personnel in Terra Venture were required to carry to defend themselves.

He knew that no one would notice the difference between his Magna Blaster and the standard rifle because it was badly damaged and somewhat scorched which gave it a similar appearance to the standard gun. On top of that, though, they would be too occupied with the hordes of Sting Wingers in the city to even pay attention to him.

At the thought of Sting Wingers, he grimaced as he turned and quickly moved to leave his apartment. Commander Stanton would be waiting on him and, if he lingered any longer, it was likely that they would notice that he was missing which he didn't want to happen.

_I really hope that I don't have to use this... _Mike thought grimly as he left.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, another few minutes later_

When Mike entered the Command Centre alone, Commander Stanton was worried.

"Where are Leo and Kai?" he demanded instantly as he relieved his position at the console which Mike quickly took up.

"They've gone to fetch something important, sir," Mike lied quickly. "I'm sure that they'll be back soon."

High Councillor Renier raised an eyebrow at this because she could tell that he was lying to them. However, to Mike's relief, she didn't say anything about the fact that he was lying to them aloud whilst Commander Stanton and Councillor Brody just bought his excuse_._

_Thank goodness that Leo appears to have convinced Kai to take up the Quasar Saber. I only hope that he manages to convince the others as well before it is too late to save Terra Venture... _Mike thought grimly.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later_

When Kai and Leo finally found Damon and Kendrix, they were relieved to see that both of them were relatively unharmed although somewhat exhausted after having to fight swarms of Sting Wingers.

"Leo, Kai, boy are we glad to see you," Kendrix exclaimed in relief as Leo and Kai quickly joined the battle against the remaining Sting Wingers. Leo and Kai smiled at this as, together, both of them quickly managed to help Kendrix and Damon dispose of the remaining Sting Wingers.

When the last Sting Winger fell, the four of them group together before the circuit box with grim expressions upon their faces as they looked to Leo for guidance.

"I have no idea why the Sting Wingers are back," Leo said grimly after a moment. "But I am now completely convinced that I have to take up the Lion Quasar Saber once again to defend the citizens of our home since, if I don't, Terra Venture and Mirinoi will likely be destroyed by the Sting Wingers."

"I'm with Leo," Kai added in grimly. "I'd be betraying everything that I've ever stood for if I were to let him take on the Sting Wingers on his own."

Damon grinned.

"I'm with both of you," Damon assured. "I'd also be betraying everything that I've ever stood for if I were to let you both do this on your own."

All three of them looked to Kendrix.

"Don't worry, I'm with both of you as well. I know that everything we care about is in great danger and I'm not going to let these Sting Wingers destroy it," she assured. "Now all we need to do is convince Maya and..."

At the mention of the fifth Lost Galaxy Ranger, and their close friend, all four of them turned rather pale as they realised one thing. She and her tribe were likely to be in great danger right now since they were an exceptionally peaceful group of people who generally didn't like fighting even to defend themselves. Maya was the exception to their number and, if the Sting Wingers had attacked them too, only Maya would be defending them at that moment.

"Guys, Maya is likely to be in trouble right now," Leo said grimly. "She's going to need our help."

The others nodded.

"Let's go," Leo stated grimly before all of them rushed to go to her aid.

_Hold on, Maya, we're coming... _Kendrix thought grimly as they ran.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, at that very moment_

"Commander!" a very frightened member of the personnel exclaimed as she entered the Command Centre. Everyone turned to her with grim expressions upon their faces. "Sting Wingers have just shown up outside."

Commander Stanton paled. Before he could say anything, though, Mike got up just before he could order an evacuation of the tower.

"Take over here," Mike commanded the woman as his expression turned somewhat frosty. "I've got this."

"But Mike..." Commander Stanton began.

"I've got this, sir," Mike repeated firmly as the woman took over at the console. "I'm not Head of Security here in the city for nothing. Stay in here and, if the Sting Wingers get into the building, seal the door."

With that, Mike rushed out of the room. Just before he left, High Councillor Renier caught a glimpse of the destroyed morphers on his wrists. Her eyes widened significantly.

_Could he be... _she silently wondered.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, a few minutes later_

As he exited the Command Tower, he saw the Sting Wingers almost instantly and grimaced at their number. He didn't know if he could take on all of them by himself, since he couldn't morph into the Magna Defender, but he was certainly going to try.

He withdrew his Magna Blaster from his belt and grimly got into a battle stance as he closed his eyes for a moment.

_I can do this. _Mike thought firmly as he opened them again. _I will not let these monsters destroy Terra Venture._

With that, he opened fire and rapidly took out a number of Sting Wingers before they could react. However, as soon as the element of surprise was lost, the Sting Wingers charged at him.

Mike grimaced as he reconfigured his Magna Blaster into the sword of the Magna Defender before he moved to meet the Sting Wingers head on.

"For Terra Venture!" Mike cried as he charged into battle against the Sting Wingers with his sword at the ready.

_Mirinoi, Sacred Grove, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, at that very moment_

As they arrived in the sacred grove, the four Lost Galaxy Rangers weren't surprised to find Maya fighting off the Sting Wingers which had attacked her tribe. The village appeared to be deserted around them so they guessed that the rest of the tribe must have managed to escape unharmed when the Sting Wingers first attacked.

When she was thrown to the ground a few seconds later, though, the four of them quickly intervened by putting themselves between their friend and the Sting Wingers.

"Maya, are you all right?" Leo asked as Kendrix helped her up. Maya nodded.

"I'm fine," she assured. "Guys, I'm going to take up the Wolf Quasar Saber again since I've realised that both Mirinoi and Terra Venture are going to need us. I..."

Leo smiled at her.

"We've come to the same conclusion as well, Maya," Leo assured her as all five of them backed away towards the stone. "We're not going to let the Sting Wingers destroy everything that we care about."

Maya nodded as they reached the stone.

"Ready?" Leo said as he reached behind him and clasped the hilt of the Lion Quasar Saber whilst facing the Sting Wingers. The others did the same and nodded just as the Sting Wingers leapt at them.

"Now!" Leo exclaimed as they drew forth their Quasar Sabers and met the Sting Wingers' attacks with the brightly glowing blades of their Quasar Sabers. Weaving their way through the monsters in an intricate dance, dodging, diving and landing blows as they went, they managed to quickly destroy the few Sting Wingers which remained.

As soon as the last Sting Winger fell to Leo's Quasar Saber, the five Lost Galaxy Rangers gathered together before the stone with grim smiles upon their faces.

"We're heading to Terra Venture now," Leo said calmly. "With all the Sting Wingers that attacked the city, they're going to need the specialist brand of help that only we can provide. Mike is guarding the Command Tower for us but I'm fairly sure that the Sting Wingers will have had free reign everywhere else so there is going to be a lot of them for us to deal with quickly and effectively before they cause too much damage."

The others nodded and, together, the five Lost Galaxy Rangers left the sacred grove.

_Mirinoi, Secret Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, also that very moment_

The five Galactabeasts all awoke at the same time at that very moment. Their friends, the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers, had drawn their Quasar Sabers from the stone.

All five of them instantly sensed the confusion, the fear and the evil that was currently in the air as they got to their feet. Something was very, very wrong in the city of Terra Venture right now.

After a quick heated argument about what they should do, the Lion Galactabeast let out a thunderous roar that ended the snarling and growling of the others before it took charge. It quickly laid out a plan and, together, the five Galactabeasts set off for the city to help their friends.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-afternoon, some time later_

As the Sting Wingers tried to take out Mike so that they could get past him into the Command Tower, the former Magna Defender was dancing a deadly dance around their blows whilst taking out other nearby Sting Wingers with well aimed blows.

He only hoped that Leo and the others would come back soon since he didn't know how much longer that he could last for given the fact that he was still somewhat outnumbered despite the fact that he had managed to take out many of their number and was also beginning to feel quite tired.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-afternoon, at that very moment_

"Stay focused and spread out," Leo barked as the five of them returned to Terra Venture to find widespread panic rife as the Sting Wingers were attacking and destroying everything in sight. "Take out the Sting Wingers and get the people to safety. And watch out for stray blows."

The others nodded as the five of them got into battle stances with their Quasar Sabers at the ready before they spread out. Whilst Leo, Kai and Damon took on the Sting Wingers, Kendrix and Maya helped to get the people nearby to safety.

Once they had finally dealt with all of the Sting Wingers in that area, screams reached their ears and, when they checked, they found more Sting Wingers harassing innocent people in one of the nearby streets.

_This is going to take a while..._ Leo silently mused before they spread out once again to deal with the Sting Wingers and to get innocent people to safety.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, the fateful day of the Accident, late afternoon, some time later_

By the time that the last Sting Winger fell to the former Magna Defender's sword, Mike was exhausted. For a few moments, he stood there breathing heavily with a grim smile on his face. Against all the odds, he had managed to take out all of the Sting Wingers despite the fact that he had been heavily outnumbered especially _without _being able to morph into the Magna Defender.

It was as he let his guard down, and turned to go back into the Command Tower, that they struck him without warning. He had just taken his first few steps back towards the tower when he was thrown to the ground by the force of a powerful explosion which went off without any warning in the centre of the street behind him and sent debris flying everywhere.

With a loud groan, Mike Corbett grimly got to his feet and turned to see what had happened. What he saw shocked him to the core as a look of disbelief spread across his face.

Scorpius, Trakeena and their generals Furio and Treacheron, were standing there with triumphant smirks upon their faces.

"All of you are supposed to be dead," Mike breathed.

"Unfortunately for you, we're not," Scorpius said coldly. "Stand aside human. Our business is with your superiors."

Mike held his sword firmly in hand as he shook his head.

"If you want to get to the High Command, you'll have to go through me first," he said coldly. "I'd rather die defending them than betray them by standing aside."

Trakeena blinked at that moment as she took in Mike and realised just who he was.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the former Magna Defender who, if my memory serves me correctly, had his power destroyed all those years ago when he helped Terra Venture escape the Lost Galaxy," she taunted. "You haven't changed a bit."

Mike growled at this as he moved into a defensive position.

"How were you restored? Why did you come back here?" Mike demanded.

"How we're back is not important," Scorpius said coldly. "Why we're back, though..."

He trailed off at that moment before Trakeena smirked evilly.

"To get our revenge on you and the Power Rangers, Magna Defender, by conquering this planet and then the universe," she finished.

Mike rolled his eyes at this.

"We won't let that happen, Scorpius, Trakeena," Mike warned. "Both the Power Rangers and myself will actively defend our home from you and your minions."

"You'll never be able to stop us," Scorpius laughed. "You are powerless."

"I may not be able to become the Magna Defender again but that doesn't mean that I don't have enough power or skill to stand against you," Mike replied calmly. "You will have to get past me to get to the High Command."

Scorpius growled.

"Furio, Treacheron, deal with this fool," he barked. Both generals nodded and, after drawing their swords, charged at Mike. Mike grimaced as he moved to meet them head on.

_I definitely won't be able to defeat both Furio and Treacheron on my own. I can, however, keep them occupied for a while. _Mike thought as they quickly fought with the ring of steel ringing out throughout the entire street as Mike blocked blows from, and dealt blows to, Furio and Treacheron. _I hope that Leo and the others get here soon before it is too late..._

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, In The Streets of New Terra Venture, the fateful day of the Accident, late afternoon, at that very moment_

"And that's the last of them," Leo stated with satisfaction as he cut down the last Sting Winger in the last group of Sting Wingers left in the city. He then turned to Kai, Damon, Kendrix and Maya with a grim expression upon his face.

The four of them hesitantly gathered around Leo who sighed.

"Now that the Sting Wingers have been dealt with, I..." Leo began.

Before he could finish, though, the sound of a loud explosion going off interrupted him. All five of them turned, startled, in the direction of the Command Tower to see a dust cloud sprout around the Tower.

"What the hell?" Damon cursed loudly.

"Whatever caused that, can't be anything good," Kendrix said grimly. It was at that moment that Leo remembered about his brother.

"Mike said that he would guard the Command Tower whilst we we were gone. He's obviously in trouble right now," Leo said in horror. "Come on."

The others nodded as they set off towards the Command Tower.

_Hold on, Mike, we're coming! _Leo thought as they ran.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, several minutes later_

_Man, those two are good. _Mike thought as he sat up, coughing and spluttering, as the dust cleared. Treacheron and Furio had combined their attacks as one and, although Mike had managed to avoid the initial attack, he hadn't been able to dodge the subsequent explosion caused by the sheer power that they had unleashed against him which had resulted in him being thrown to the ground. On top of that, he had received a large gash upon his arm along with several slightly less serious cuts across his entire body from the debris that the explosion had thrown into the air.

The sword of the Magna Defender had also been damaged slightly more as well and, on top of that, so had his already ruined morphers. Mike didn't really care about them at that moment, though, since as long as he was still alive, and his sword hadn't been snapped, he could still fight.

Grimly, he stumbled back onto his feet at that moment as he shook the majority of the dust from himself.

_Now I know how Leo felt after being caught up in the explosion which caused Trakeena's destruction all those years ago. _Mike mused silently to himself as he winced in pain as the fresh air caused his wounds to sting. _Damn, that gash and these other wounds are serious. I'm definitely not going to be able to fight for much longer in this condition. _

"Give up, Magna Defender," Scorpius taunted. "You are no match for us."

"Never," Mike replied defiantly.

"End this," Trakeena barked at Treacheron and Furio. Both of them nodded and, before Mike could get out of the way, both of them charged at him, disarmed him and threw him to the ground. Mike barely managed not to cry out as he landed awkwardly on the ground which caused pain to shoot through his entire body but he unfortunately couldn't stop the hiss that escaped his lips.

Before either of them could harm Mike any further, the five Lost Galaxy Rangers arrived on the scene.

"Mike!" Leo exclaimed in horror. Mike smiled weakly at his brother as the four villains turned to them.

_Thank goodness... _Mike thought weakly.

All five Power Rangers gasped in shock when they saw Scorpius, Trakeena and their generals.

"Scorpius? Trakeena? Furio? Treacheron? But we destroyed you!" Leo exclaimed in shock.

"And now we're back to get our revenge on you for doing so by conquering this planet and then the universe," Trakeena replied coldly. "Finish the Magna Defender, Furio, Treacheron!"

Furio and Treacheron advanced towards Mike menacingly at that moment. However, they were quickly distracted by a brilliant flash of golden light from the five Quasar Sabers which caused the Transmorphers to appear upon the five Lost Galaxy Rangers' wrists.

"Let's show Trakeena and Scorpius why threatening, and harming, the Magna Defender is a bad idea," Leo said coldly. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Kai, Damon, Kendrix and Maya replied as they nodded and got into position.

"Go, Galactic!" the five Lost Galaxy Rangers called as they activated their morphers. Seconds later, they morphed and instantly rushed into battle to protect Mike from any further harm.

Working as an effective team, the five of them quickly forced Furio and Treacheron back as they took turns blocking, dodging and delivering blows here and there as they went.

Eventually, Leo delivered the finishing blow with a well aimed strike that threw Furio and Treacheron to the ground. The five Lost Galaxy Rangers quickly formed a protective line in front of Mike with their Quasar Sabers at the ready.

"Had enough yet, Trakeena, Scorpius?" Leo demanded.

Scorpius and Trakeena growled at this.

"This isn't over Rangers," Scorpius vowed. "We will conquer this planet and then the universe even if you stand against us."

"Furio, Treacheron, retreat," Trakeena barked as the four villains quickly fled just as the Galactabeasts arrived on the scene.

Instead of going after the villains, all five of the Power Rangers grimly powered down and Leo rushed to help Mike up whilst Damon fetched his sword. Kai and Kendrix looked at Mike in concern whilst Maya conversed with the Galactabeasts to reassure them that, for now, the danger had passed.

As Mike got to his feet, he winced. Leo was worried.

"Mike, some of these injuries look really serious," Leo said grimly. "This is all my fault for not..."

"Leo, it's okay," he reassured firmly as he stopped Leo in mid-sentence. "Once I've been patched up, I'll be a bit sore for a few days but, otherwise, I'll be fine. And this is not your fault."

At that moment, Maya gasped in surprise and everyone turned to her.

"What's wrong?" Kendrix asked when Maya took on a confused expression as she turned to them.

"Nothing," Maya reassured. "The Lion Galactabeast has just told me something rather odd, that's all. It's nothing that can't wait until we're in a more private setting to discuss, though, as he assures me that it isn't serious."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

All five of the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers and Mike turned at that moment to see the entire High Command of Terra Venture standing in the doorway with unreadable expressions upon their faces. All of them paled.

"High Councillor Renier, Councillor Brody, Commander Stanton, it's..." Mike began weakly.

"Magna Defender, Power Rangers," High Councillor Renier greeted. "I must admit that I'm impressed that all of you managed to hide your identities from us for this long but the secret is now out since the Magna Defender made somewhat of a significant slip."

Mike was puzzled for a moment before he grimaced.

"My sleeve slipped and you saw my morphers," Mike guessed. She nodded.

"I hope, for your sakes, that you have a reasonably good explanation for all of this," Commander Stanton added coldly as he gestured to the completely devastated street. "And I want the truth for once. No more excuses."

All six of them flinched at this.

_This is not good... _all of them thought simultaneously as they paled even further.


	16. Chapter 5: Some Calm After The Chaos

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 5: Some Calm After The Chaos

by Lauraac2110

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, several minutes later_

"Well?" Commander Stanton demanded as he glared at them.

All of the Rangers and Mike shifted uncomfortably under his glare. After a moment, though, Leo sighed. There was no way that they would be able to bluff their way out of telling the truth this time so they had little choice but to come clean.

"It would be best if we took this conversation somewhere a little more private, sir," Leo said grimly. "Anything related to any of the Power Rangers is highly sensitive information so it wouldn't be a good idea for us to answer you out here."

High Councillor Renier nodded in approval.

"A wise request," she said with a small smile. "Councillor Brody, please take charge of the clean-up operation whilst Commander Stanton and I talk with the Power Rangers and their ally, the Magna Defender, somewhere private. If anyone asks, we are dealing with a rather important issue that has just come to our attention and will be unavailable for some time."

Councillor Brody nodded and, wordlessly, returned into the Command Tower. With a small sigh, Maya turned to the five Galactabeasts.

"Guard the city for us, Galactabeasts," she said softly to them. "We have much to discuss with the High Command."

The Galactabeasts growled in approval before they rushed off to take up defensive positions throughout the city. Mike sighed.

"I know of a place where we can talk that we won't be disturbed," Mike assured. "In fact, I'm sure that I'm the only one who knows of this particular place anyway so we will be able to speak freely without having to worry about being overheard."

"Where is it?" Leo asked curiously.

"I'll need to go back into the Command Tower first before I can tell you that, bro," Mike admitted with a weak smile. "Would you mind giving me a hand?"

Leo grinned and nodded before all of them entered the Command Tower.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Lift, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, several minutes later again_

Once everyone was inside the lift, Mike grimly held up his damaged morphers to the nearby id scanner which controlled the entry and exit to the uppermost levels of the Command Tower itself. As soon as he held his morphers to the scanner, there was a loud beep and a click signalling that something had been just been unlocked.

"Mike, just where are we going?" Commander Stanton demanded as Mike slid aside a particular panel to reveal a lever.

"You'll see, sir," Mike assured as he pulled that lever down. He then sealed the panel shut behind him again before he said clearly, "Basement."

The lift started to descend at that moment and everyone except from Mike were completely confused. As far as all of them knew, there had _never _been a basement built beneath the Command Tower. Before they could ask Mike anything, though, he grinned at them.

"You'll see why no one except myself knows of the basement in a moment," Mike assured. "Trust me, it was kept a secret for a very good reason."

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Lost Galaxy Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, a few moments later_

As the lift opened, everyone except Mike stared at the room before them. It was quite clear a Command Centre for the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers.

Against the back wall, a massive computer system which was connected to numerous monitors sat on a modern silver desk which appeared to have been specifically built for that particular system. In front of the computer, there was a black leather chair decorated with golden embroidered swirls.

Just in front of them, three rather large leather sofas were arranged in a circular arrangement. One was red, one was blue and the other one green. In the centre of the ring of sofas, there was a large brown table. The walls of the room were a very pale yellow whilst the carpet was jet black.

On either side of the room, there were two doors, one silver and one gold, leading off to two other rooms. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything pink in sight which made Kendrix frown a little given the fact that it was supposed to be a Command Centre for all of them yet her colour was the only one not represented in the room.

"How did you manage to hide this right under our noses?" High Councillor Renier demanded as everyone exited the lift.

"The builders who built the Command Tower just so happened to be migrants from the planet KO-35," he said with a grin.

"I still don't see how that makes any difference," Commander Stanton said in confusion.

"Neither do I," High Councillor Renier admitted.

"Mike has failed to mention that we have a number of highly influential friends on KO-35. I believe that he probably enlisted their help to convince the builders to conceal this basement from you and from everyone else in Terra Venture," Leo guessed as he sat down on the red sofa with a grin upon his face. Mike nodded as he sat down beside his brother on the sofa whilst everyone else sat down on the other two with the Commander and High Councillor on the green sofa at one side and the other Power Rangers on the blue sofa at the other.

"Andros may have helped me a little," Mike admitted. "He and I had a long discussion with the builders and, after Andros was finished with them, they were only too happy to cooperate with me discreetly of course. The basement was removed from the plans of the Command Tower so that I could put it to good use for the Power Rangers. In times of peace, it is a storage area for all of our... equipment which would be deadly in the wrong hands. In bad times, though, it is a fully fledged sophisticated Command Centre which can be used to keep an eye on evil or suspicious activity throughout the universe."

"This... Andros... just how important is he?" Commander Stanton asked curiously.

"He's the leader of the legendary Space Rangers," Mike admitted quietly. "He and I have been secretly keeping in very close contact over the past two years. Originally, he and I were secretly working on a number of projects together. Once those projects were finished, we started exchanging some rather interesting information about certain events in the rest of the universe."

Whilst High Councillor Renier and Commander Stanton looked somewhat awed, the five Lost Galaxy Rangers bore expressions that clearly communicated their feelings of betrayal since they hadn't known until now that Mike had been talking to Andros behind their backs for the past two years. Mike grimaced at this.

"Hey, unlike all of you, I stayed true to the phrase "Once a Ranger or their ally, always a Ranger or their ally". Despite the fact that I do understand why you almost completely gave up your mantles, you guys almost made a mistake which could have cost many innocent lives if I hadn't finally managed to convince Leo to take up his Quasar Saber again today," Mike protested before he winced as pain shot through his entire body. "Besides, with the volatile situation on Earth, _someone _on Mirinoi had to know about what was happening in the rest of the universe so that action could be taken when necessary."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" High Councillor Renier demanded with a disapproving glare. Mike flinched as he realised that he had slipped up and said some things that he shouldn't have before he winced again as pain shot through his entire body.

Kendrix sighed and got up. Then, she took one look at Mike and his injuries before she took on a grim expression.

"Is there a first-aid kit in here?" she demanded. Mike nodded and pointed to a box hanging on the wall beside the lift. Kendrix fetched the box, opened it and began to use the medical equipment inside to treat his wounds.

"Well, High Councillor Renier, Commander Stanton, we..." Leo began grimly as he started to explain everything of importance that had happened to them over the past two years beginning with that fateful night in the sacred grove.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Lost Galaxy Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-evening, some time later_

When Leo had finally finished his explanation, with Mike helpfully clarifying a few things here and there as his brother spoke, High Councillor Renier and Commander Stanton were utterly shocked and considerably pale as they sank further into the sofa that they were sitting on to consider what they had just learned.

To distract everyone from sorrowfully considering the situation that they were now in, Maya chose that moment to tell everyone about what the Lion Galactabeast had told her. She told them that someone, who was not Leo, had removed the Lion Quasar Saber from the stone soon after Leo had placed it in before returning it to the stone a few minutes later again. Mike grimaced this whilst the other Lost Galaxy Rangers appeared to be rather worried.

"Guys, I have a confession to make," Mike said grimly after a moment. All five Lost Galaxy Rangers turned to him. "I was the one who removed the Quasar Saber that night and, after a few moments, I quickly returned it to the stone again since I was only trying to satisfy my curiosity when I drew it forth from the stone in the first place."

He paused for a moment.

"If worst came to worst, I would have taken up the Lion Quasar Saber myself to defend Mirinoi if I had to," he then admitted.

All five of the Lost Galaxy Rangers were startled by this revelation.

"Would you really have taken up the Lion Quasar Saber if I hadn't, Mike?" Leo asked quietly. Mike nodded.

"Once a Ranger or their ally, always a Ranger or their ally," Mike answered. "I will never stand idly by and let anyone destroy my home. I may not be able to become the Magna Defender again but I am not powerless. As always, I will remain at your side whilst we fight to defend Mirinoi and its inhabitants."

"Mike, some of these injuries are serious," Kendrix said in concern as she attended to him. Mike winced as she prodded the gash on his arm. "You could be killed if..."

"I will stand up for everything that I believe in," Mike stated weakly. "And I've had worse."

"Actually, Leo is the only one who has ever had worse injuries than you before, Mike," Kai pointed out. "And only after that time when he nearly killed himself to destroy Trakeena."

Mike took on a pained expression at this but, fortunately, High Councillor Renier had finished considering everything that she had just learned and quickly changed the topic of conversation away from his injuries when she voiced one of the few questions that they had not answered for her.

"Why were we never told about the Venjix invasion on Earth?" she demanded.

"Andros and I, after a rather intense debate with a number of other important people we knew, decided that it was best that you didn't know about what was going on back on Earth," Mike admitted. "He and I both believed that you would try to make an attempt to rescue people from the planet which would definitely fail _and _have disastrous consequences for the rest of the galaxy as well. If Venjix were ever to learn that there are other planets outside of Earth, I'm sure that it would try to conquer the galaxy and it would have almost certainly succeed because it practically controls almost all of Earth anyway already."

"To be fair, High Councillor, we did not know about the fact that they had decided not to inform you of what had happened," Damon chipped in. "We did, however, know all about the invasion and also that the Galactic Council had decided upon following a watch and wait policy _unless _Venjix's forces spread into Space."

"Ma'am, Andros didn't want me to inform them about the particular details that we worked out behind their backs for the past two years since all of them had pretty much decided to give up their mantles which made them somewhat of a liability at the time," Mike admitted quietly.

"What I want to know is what you thought gave you the right to make such a decision on our behalf," Commander Stanton demanded coldly. "We could have..."

"As Andros said to me bluntly a few weeks after the Galactic Council, Venjix controls almost absolutely everything on Earth with an iron fist so any rescue attempts are just too risky because Venjix will be using _everyone _under his control to gather resources to build a massive army for him," Mike said grimly. "With roughly a billion people probably still alive on Earth at this moment, he's likely to have an army of around a billion minions carrying out everything that he commands them to. As you should know, sir, the entire galaxy would be completely decimated by such an army if it were ever to leave Earth. Andros and I _definitely _didn't think that anyone would want _that _to happen to the galaxy because of their actions which is why we decided what we did."

Mike then sighed.

"Besides, we had consulted a highly intelligent friends of ours beforehand," Mike continued. "Who got in touch with someone else who could get in touch with Ninjor to ask for his advice..."

"_The _Ninjor?" Leo said in surprise. "As in..."

"The Ninjor in the tales of Billy's active service? Yes," Mike answered. "Ninjor agreed that ensuring the safety of the entire universe, by keeping everyone on Mirinoi who was not a Power Ranger in the dark about the Venjix invasion, was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Trust me when I say, though, that we still didn't take the decision to lie to an entire planet lightly."

Commander Stanton looked to Leo who frowned but nodded after a moment to confirm that Mike had spoken only the truth.

"If Ninjor, or any of the other powerful Powers of Good, say anything to any Power Ranger, it is almost always the complete truth and always the right course of action to take," Leo chipped in. "This is especially true in the most difficult circumstances, sir, because they have thousands of years of wisdom, lots of experience and knowledge of the inner workings of the more powerful sources of evil in the universe at their disposal to help them decide what is the right course of action."

"Making a choice which could affect an entire planet is the most difficult of circumstances, Leo," Mike pointed out. "And it's certainly one set of circumstances that I never want to be in again."

He winced at that moment as Kendrix started to sew shut the large gash on his arm that he had received from that explosion earlier after she had finished disinfecting it. Silence reigned between all of them for several moments as they considered Mike's words before Commander Stanton and High Councillor Renier decided that it was probably best to move on from discussing the hard decisions that Mike had been forced to make together with Andros whilst they took some more time to consider why Mike had done what he did a little further.

"Tell me about this place," High Councillor Renier demanded as she waved at her surroundings.

"Yeah, Mike, tell us what you've got hidden behind those doors," Damon added eagerly.

Mike smiled.

"I've got your Jet Jammers down here," Mike said as he grinned at them before he paused dramatically, "And, with a little help from a friend, I've got rebuilt, and brand new, Astro Cycles for all four of you and a rebuilt Red Capsular Cycle for Leo. Not to mention the fact that I've also got the remains of the set of enchanted keys which activated Leo's Battlizer hidden away somewhere down here. I recovered them from the ruins of Old Terra Venture and, despite the fact that I wanted to toss them away, Andros convinced me to keep a hold of them on the off chance that someone might be able to repair them eventually."

The five Lost Galaxy's Ranger's faces lit up at this news.

"Where are they?" Kai and Damon asked eagerly. Mike just pointed at the silver door which they scrambled through to examine them. When they returned, both of them had grins upon their faces.

"How on earth did you manage to rebuild them?" Damon asked curiously. "And how will we get them out of here?"

"Andros helped me rebuild everything that was lost when Old Terra Venture crashed into Mirinoi's surface. After all, I'm not an expert mechanic like you are although I have improved considerably over the past two years under Andros's tutelage," Mike admitted ruefully. "And, as for the Jet Jammers, I asked Jera if the tribe knew of their location. He was only too happy to lead me to exactly where you had concealed them in the jungle after I told him of a few of our adventures to add to the tribe's lore."

Maya frowned at this.

"As to how you will get them out of here, there's a big red door at the back of that room which leads to a set of tunnels which extend from here to a highly protected exit at the edge of New Terra Venture. This exit can _only _be opened by a remote signal sent by beacons attached to the bikes and Jet Jammers but, even then, regular scanners are strategically placed throughout the tunnel so that, on the off chance that someone tries to follow you, they can be identified and swiftly destroyed if they pose a threat to us," Mike continued. "Or to Mirinoi."

"You never mentioned what's under that black velvet sheet that Damon and I couldn't get anywhere near at the back of the room," Kai said curiously. "Just what are you hiding under there?"

Mike grinned.

"Oh, that's just a little present from Andros that I'm going to keep a secret, for now," Mike replied.

"Mike!" Kai and Damon protested. Mike sighed.

"What is under the black velvet sheet is not for you guys anyway," Mike replied calmly. "Andros made them specifically for me and, as such, I'm not going to tell you what they are. Like everybody else, you'll find out what's under the black velvet sheet when I use them for the first time. Until then, I should warn you that there's a forcefield around them which will prevent anyone else except me getting to them for now because they have yet to be calibrated to my DNA so that they can't be misused by anyone else."

At that moment, Kendrix finished treating the last of Mike's wounds.

"That's the last of your injuries, Mike," she said grimly. "Try not to get caught in an explosion next time you cross paths with Scorpius, Trakeena or their minions."

Mike grimaced at this and nodded.

"Thanks Kendrix," he replied gratefully before he stood. "For now, though, I really need to get a change of clothing so I'll be back soon."

With that, Mike vanished into the other room through the gold doors which clicked shut behind him. For a few moments, everyone was quiet before Commander Stanton broke the silence by asking the most important question on his mind at that moment.

"Just what do you think that Scorpius, Trakeena and her minions will do now?" he asked.

"They'll try to get revenge for being destroyed, sir," Maya answered quietly. "By attempting to conquer Mirinoi and then the rest of the universe. Unfortunately for them, we're here and we're not going to let them do that without a fight."

"Like Mike said, all five of us had lost sight of the one code that all Rangers live by when we almost completely gave up our mantles," Leo admitted grimly. "Even though we almost gave up for the right reasons, we should not have taken the easy way out. Instead, we should have done the right thing by continuing to be the Power Rangers despite the dangers."

"Power Rangers are supposed to understand that they have to make great personal sacrifices, and risk their lives, in defence of the innocents of the universe. Until today, I don't think that any of the five us did understand this but we certainly do now. And it's all thanks to Mike," Leo continued grimly.

"I admit that I'm finding it difficult to understand his motives for his actions," High Councillor Renier admitted as she frowned.

"Perhaps I can help you to understand, High Councillor, by telling you about Mike, my brother, as I've known him," Leo replied grimly. "Especially over the last eleven years or so because they are probably critical to understanding Mike, the Magna Defender, as well as his motives and actions. He..."

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Lost Galaxy Command Centre, the fateful day of the Accident, late evening, some time later_

A few minutes after Leo had explained everything he knew about his brother to help High Councillor Renier and Commander Stanton understand his motives for his actions, Mike re-entered the room. No longer was blood staining his skin which suggested to them that he had probably had a bath or a shower whilst in the other room before he had changed his clothes. He was now wearing a black shirt, a pair of black trousers with golden trimmings and a gold belt around his waist which held his damaged Magna Blaster. Upon his chest, there was a small golden representation of the Torozord signifying that he was the Magna Defender as it stated upon his back in elegant golden embroidery. Around his wrists were his damaged morphers and, now that they were not hidden by his sleeves, everyone could see just how badly damaged they were.

"Wow, Mike, where did the uniform come from?" Kendrix asked as she looked him over. Mike smiled sadly.

"Whilst Andros was working with me, Ashley kept herself busy by making a set of a dozen uniforms for me to make sure that, if our secret ever came out, everyone would know that I was once the Magna Defender so that no one else could that they were otherwise," he answered before he grinned. "Don't worry, Kendrix, Ashley sent a dozen uniforms over for the rest of you when I met with Andros to discuss a few things face to face last month but you'll have to wait until later to see them."

Mike then sighed.

"I had to incinerate my uniform again because of the fact that it was completely soaked in my blood. It's the seventh time in eleven years that I've had to destroy my uniform because it has been ruined by one thing or another whilst I've been defending Mirinoi," he then admitted.

"Sensible decision, Mike," Leo agreed. "If samples of our blood were ever to fall into the wrong hands..."

He trailed off at that moment and shuddered.

"What would happen?" Commander Stanton asked curiously as Mike moved to sit down in front of the system.

"Let's just say that it wouldn't be anything good, sir, and leave it at that," Leo replied uneasily.

Uneasy silence reigned for several moments in the room before Mike quickly turned his back to everyone else as he started working on the system. Within minutes, he had brought it on-line and turned to the High Command to ensure that he had their permission to continue.

After glancing at High Councillor Renier, who nodded in reply to his unspoken question, Commander Stanton smiled sadly.

"You may continue, Mike," he confirmed. "And I think that I speak for both myself and High Councillor Renier when I say that, after Leo told us a few things, we understand why you kept the situation on Earth a secret from both of us."

Mike nodded to them before he turned back to the screen to run a few quick checks to make sure that everything was in working order. From there, he then called up the system controls and, after furiously typing in several lines of code, a scanner slid out from underneath the desk with a click.

"Your Transmorphers, please," Mike said with a smile as he turned to the five Lost Galaxy Rangers who nodded and eagerly handed their morphers over one by one so that Mike could key them into the system before he returned them to their owners. When he had finally finished and had hidden the scanner again, the screen suddenly turned red and a generalised warning message appeared on screen as an alarm sounded.

"What is happening?" Commander Stanton demanded as Mike furiously typed in several lines of code before he grimaced.

"We've been sent an urgent message by one of our allies," Mike informed him as the warning message disappeared. "It's from Billy on Aquitar."

The five Lost Galaxy Rangers paled at this. Before either Commander Stanton or High Councillor Renier could ask who Billy was, Mike provided them with an explanation.

"One of the Original Rangers, sir," Mike said grimly. "And a brilliantly intelligent man. Anything that he urgently has to tell us directly, without using Andros as a go between, has to be exceptionally important because Billy doesn't normally communicate with us directly unless it is an emergency."

"I'm curious to know how we've never picked up any of your communications yet despite the fact that our communication satellites and our radars are the best currently available in the galaxy," Commander Stanton admitted.

"Sir, like all Power Rangers or their allies, I send all my communications over a highly encrypted bandwidth which won't show up on any radar systems and is protected from being intercepted by any available satellites in the galaxy which do not belong directly to the Power Rangers or their allies," Mike answered slyly.

"It's a standard practice for Power Rangers and their allies since we tend to have access to a lot of very sensitive information which we often discuss in great detail when we send communications to each other. If our information were to fall into the wrong hands, many innocent lives would likely be put at great risk," Kai added in helpfully.

Commander Stanton nodded at this as Mike started working upon getting the system to play the message that they had received.

"Let's see what Billy has to say to us," Mike said aloud as he entered the final commands required for the system to play the message.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," the message said.

Silence reigned for several moments before Kendrix finally spoke.

"Well that explains why Scorpius, Trakeena and their minions are back," she said grimly before she said, "Why can't they just _stay _dead for once?"

"Has this happened before?" High Councillor Renier demanded.

"Not on this scale, no," Damon answered. "Once or twice, one of the villains that the Power Rangers have faced, or their generals, manage to return to life somehow. However, they're always quickly destroyed or contained by the Power Rangers as soon as they come to our attention _especially _if they try to revive their brethren to prevent them from causing catastrophic damage. It has happened to us when, a year after we destroyed her for the first time, Trakeena returned to life and tried to destroy us again. She was, however, swiftly destroyed by us and a few friends before she could cause too much damage."

"I don't remember that," Commander Stanton frowned.

"You wouldn't, sir," Mike replied respectfully. "Trakeena didn't stay on Mirinoi. As soon as she was revived, she fled the planet and went straight to Earth with Leo following after her in hot pursuit. When the others found out she was back the next morning, they rushed after Leo to Earth whilst I covered for them. I think that I told you that they had gone on an extended field trip with Kendrix to examine the edible plants on Mirinoi since we were suffering a slight food shortage at the time."

"Which was miraculously solved by a hefty dump of supplies by traders from KO-35 when they reappeared if I remember rightly," High Councillor Renier pointed out with a small smile.

Leo shrugged.

"We stopped by KO-35 on our way home after Trakeena was destroyed," he admitted. "Andros and the other Space Rangers were only too happy to dump the surplus supplies that the planet had on Mirinoi after he learned of our situation."

For several moments, silence descended in the room until Leo suddenly realised something rather important.

"Guys, Billy said that _all _of the villains that we've ever faced are back," he said grimly in horror. "That means..."

All five Lost Galaxy Rangers paled whilst Mike took on a cold expression.

"What does it mean for Mirinoi and Terra Venture?" Commander Stanton demanded.

"Big trouble," Leo answered. "Captain Mutiny and his crew will be back as well. And, between him and Scorpius and Trakeena, we're going to have a hard time defending Mirinoi from both of them."

"Captain Mutiny, his Space Pirates and I have some unfinished business which wasn't concluded in the Lost Galaxy," Mike said coldly. "They're mine, bro, to deal with appropriately for their crimes."

"I'm afraid, Mike, that you _won't _be able to take on Captain Mutiny or his crew any time soon since you don't have your powers as the Magna Defender," Leo reminded him. "Without the protection that the armour of the Magna Defender gives you, Mutiny or his crew might get lucky and manage to kill you."

"Leo's right, Mike," Kendrix said grimly. "I'm afraid that the most that you're going to be able to go up against is Sting Wingers and Swabbies."

"Kendrix's right, Mike," Kai agreed. "We just do not want to lose you."

_Like we nearly did the last time you and Mutiny crossed paths... _Leo thought grimly at that moment. Mike sighed at this but reluctantly gave in.

"You're right, Leo," Mike admitted. "And I promise all of you that I'll limit any opponents in the battles that I get involved in to Swabbies and Sting Wingers."

The five Lost Galaxy Rangers nodded in approval at this and Kai sighed.

"It's a shame that Billy has gone to Earth," he lamented. "He would've been an excellent ally to have out here with us. His unrivalled intelligence would have been a great asset to all of us and make our job, defending Mirinoi, so much easier."

"He was called to Earth by Tommy," Leo pointed out. "And, together, the pair of them are going to be a force to be reckoned with as they gather together the scattered Rangers, eliminate what evils they can here and there and prepare Earth's defences for the war that has almost certainly begun now."

Leo grinned at that moment.

"I still can't believe that he managed to survive the last two years in hiding on Earth all by himself," he then admitted.

"Tommy is a survivor like myself, Leo," Maya pointed out. "He has once again managed to defy all of the odds that were against him to come out alive and probably no worse for wear either."

"Given who he is, though, you really should have expected him to survive, though, Leo," Damon and Kai chipped in.

"This... Tommy... how is he important to you?" High Councillor Renier asked. Mike grinned.

"Dr Tommy Oliver is a famous palaeontologist, scientist and one of the Originals," Mike answered with a grin. "He's also the greatest Power Ranger to have ever lived which is the only thing that all of the Power Rangers actually agree upon once they've spoken to the man. Most of us are still trying to decide if the legends passed from Ranger to Ranger that surround him are true or not. It's the source of a deeply interesting argument amongst all of the Power Rangers, you know, whenever we're having a really dull day."

"He has also gone through so many suit changes that he's always had serious problems with stocking his wardrobe because of the fact that all of his Ranger colours clash with each other," Leo chuckled.

Both High Councillor Renier and Commander Stanton looked confused at this so Mike helpfully decided to explain.

"Power Rangers tend to be unable to wear any clothes that are not in our Ranger colours for long periods of time without quickly becoming extremely uncomfortable," he said grimly. "I asked Andros about it once. The explanation he gave me, though, was so complex that he completely lost me when he started taking about resonating Ranger energies..."

"He lost me as well when I asked about it a few years back. And I'm the scientist," Kendrix added in at that moment. "However, I got the impression that Andros didn't really understand the theory much either since it sounded as if he was directly quoting someone else."

"Anyway, getting back to Tommy, he has been the Green Ranger, the White Ranger and the White Ninja Ranger.." Leo said as he listed off Tommy's achievements. "He has also been the Red Zeo Ranger, the Red Turbo Ranger briefly and the Black Dino Ranger too. That's... six times, isn't it?"

Damon nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. "Unfortunately, besides Leo, the rest of us have never met him face to face although each of us have spoken to him over numerous communications."

Mike mumbled something at that moment which only Leo caught.

"Where and when did you meet Tommy face to face?" Leo demanded as he took on a surprised expression.

"It was the Summer of 2003 when I was sent to find Andros so that we could hire builders from KO-35 to build New Terra Venture," Mike said grimly. "I found Andros sitting in a bar on Onyx having a rather heated discussion over the best available materials for morphers with another individual. I was stunned when I discovered that said person was Tommy Oliver who, if we're to believe the legends, had barely managed to escape from an explosion on the island that he had been working on with Anton Mercer only a few weeks before."

"And how did you discover this?" Kendrix asked curiously. Mike took on somewhat of a sheepish expression.

"Both of them attacked me when I interrupted them," he admitted. "They couldn't stop apologising for nearly ten minutes afterwards about what they had done and it took me another ten minutes on top of that to get them to be quiet for long enough for me to be able to explain why I had interrupted them in the first place."

"Tommy hastily made his leave with a silver case in hand a few minutes after that," Mike continued. "Before he left, though, he told me to never repeat what I had heard to another soul until the next group of Rangers appeared."

"They were the Dino Rangers," Damon helpfully put in. "And Tommy was one of them."

"I learned never to interrupt Red Rangers in the midst of heated arguments that day," Mike admitted.

"What was he like in person?" Maya asked curiously.

"He was exactly as he seems to be in his communications," Mike answered. "Except from the fact that, even if he doesn't realise it, he carries himself, and acts like, a true leader."

"It's the Red Ranger part of his personality," Leo said grimly. "I've had the same problem sometimes."

For several moments, no one said anything until, finally, Leo spoke again.

"Guys, I've just noticed that we've got a problem," he said grimly. "We're really in need of some guidance right now and, unfortunately, we don't have the communication codes required to get in touch with Dimitria of Inquiris. Only Billy had them and, unfortunately, he has gone to Earth now."

"There is no problem," Mike assured as he turned to the system and, rather quickly, input a different set of commands to send out an emergency contact signal to Andros on KO-35. "Andros will have the communication codes required to get in touch with Dimitria of Inquiris but, on top of that, he will also be the best person to ask for advice right now. After all, the Space Rangers are really the only ones who have faced a slightly similar situation before."

"So what are all of you going to do now?" High Councillor Renier asked. Mike yawned at that moment.

"We'll have to wait until Andros replies, ma'am," he said grimly. "If I'm right, he's now the senior Power Ranger outside of Earth with Billy gone."

"Wouldn't it not be Trey?" Damon asked at that moment. Leo shook his head.

"No, my brother is right, Andros is the senior Power Ranger out here now," Leo replied grimly. "Remember what Andros told us when we were on KO-35 about the rankings after we asked about whether there were other Power Rangers out in space. The ranking starts with any Original Power Rangers out here at the top then everyone else is ranked by their achievements and not how long they've been in active service for. Andros is at the top of the rankings now because of the fact that he was the one to end the Space War by smashing Zordon's energy tube which unleashed that energy wave which destroyed the entire United Alliance of Evil by turning them to dust."

"He's also the most respected Power Ranger out of all of us out here," Kai added grimly. "Trey may have served slightly longer than him but Trey doesn't have the same respect that Andros does."

"Unfortunately, it might take a while for Andros to reply to us, though," Mike pointed out grimly. "He and the Space Rangers might have had to deal with problems of their own on KO-35 today as well."

"So what are we going to do until then?" Maya asked.

"Well, we could tell High Councillor Renier and Commander Stanton about some of our exploits," Kai suggested.

"Perhaps it might be best to tell them about how we met the Space Rangers in the first place," Kendrix suggested quietly. "And how, for a time, another took up the mantle of the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger because I could not..."

The other four Lost Galaxy Rangers and Mike took on a grim expression at this whilst Commander Stanton raised an eyebrow at this.

"We agreed never to mention that day again, Kendrix," Damon reminded her.

"No matter what," Kai added.

"Kendrix, I have to agree with Leo, Damon and Kai on this one," Maya said quietly. "We agreed never to mention that day again."

"There can be no secrets," Kendrix reminded them. "And they need to know in case it happens to one of us again."

"It won't," Leo said firmly. "I won't let it."

"Leo, they need to know," Kendrix said gently.

"No they don't," Leo countered. "If it happens, we can tell them then."

"No, Leo," Kendrix replied. "They need to know now. If I have to, I'll tell them myself."

"Kendrix, please..." Leo pleaded.

"No, Leo. They need to know," Kendrix stated firmly.

"Would someone care to fill us in why you won't talk about one particular day?" Commander Stanton demanded.

"I will, sir," Kendrix said calmly. "The day in question is one that all of us want to forget, even myself, but it's one that you need to know about. It starts with the Psycho Rangers, who managed to survive the Space War, managing to kidnap almost all of us and..."

And, with that, Kendrix launched into the full story about the darkest day in the Lost Galaxy Ranger's history for the benefit of Commander Stanton and High Councillor Renier to pass the time whilst the others listened with pained expressions upon their faces.


	17. Chapter 6: Promises Enacted

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 6: Promises Enacted

by Lauraac2110

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning_

As he and Ashley were eating breakfast that fateful morning, Andros sighed.

It had been two years since Venjix had taken control of everything on Earth. And, since then, everything had been relatively peaceful on KO-35 which, given its history as a planet at the forefront of the Space War and as the home of the Space Rangers, was a rather unusual occurrence for such a long period of time on the planet.

_I wonder how much longer peace can last here..._ Andros mused. _The past two years have certainly been rather quiet._

He snapped out of his musings at that moment when Ashley smiled at him.

"So, Andros, what are you going to do today?" she asked curiously. "I'm going to be spending time with TJ, Cassie and Carlos today since I did promise them that I would come over and see them every week so that we could spend time together."

Andros smiled sadly at her. Ashley had certainly made sure that there was never a dull moment over the past two years but he knew only too well that she was still somewhat distressed about everything on Earth that she had lost on that fateful day two years ago.

"I'm staying here today, Ashley, to work on a project of mine on my computer," Andros replied with a small sad smile. "I believe that I've almost completed it too."

"What are you working on?" she asked curiously as they ate.

"D.E.C.A. Version Two," Andros answered before he started to detail the improvements that he was making to the program code of the original D.E.C.A.. "It's going to be..."

_KO-35, Zhane and Karone's home, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, at that very moment_

As Zhane and Karone sat in their kitchen whilst they ate their breakfast at that very moment, Zhane noticed that Karone was trying to avoid his gaze. When he paid attention to her, he realised rather quickly that she seemed rather disturbed about something suggesting to him that there was something very wrong.

"Karone," Zhane said gently. "What's wrong?"

"There's nothing wrong, I'm fine," Karone replied quickly as she instantly looked up at him in surprise with a false expression of happiness plastered across her face.

_Liar. _Zhane thought with a grim smile. He could tell instantly that something was definitely wrong because she paled somewhat as she realised that he didn't believe her lies. _There's definitely something wrong, it seems._

"Karone, don't lie to me," Zhane said simply before he repeated his earlier question. "What's wrong?"

Karone sighed as the fake expression of happiness vanished before she took on an expression of fear.

"I feel as if there is something very wrong with the universe this morning just as I did two years ago," she admitted before she smiled grimly. "Although it is unlikely that anything bad will actually happen today, I'm still feeling rather uneasy given what happened the last time that I felt this way."

She pushed away her plate at that moment as she stood up.

"I'm not hungry, Zhane," she declared. "I think that I'll go for a walk to try to clear up my feelings."

Reluctantly, Zhane nodded at this.

"All right, Karone," Zhane conceded. "But be careful."

Karone smiled at him as she walked around the table and kissed Zhane upon the cheek.

"I'm always careful, Zhane," she reassured him. "Don't worry, I'll be all right."

She left at that moment and Zhane sighed. He suddenly found that he had lost his appetite as he tried to finish off his breakfast and found that he couldn't. He gently put his cutlery down on the table and grimaced.

Given what had happened the last time that Karone had felt that way, Zhane was rightfully rather worried about just what might happen over the course of the day. However, there was no sense dwelling upon his worries or his fears since there was still a chance, regardless of how small it was, that this day would just be a normal day like any other. Besides, he also couldn't afford to waste any valuable time worrying about Karone or what might happen because he had a number of important tasks that he had to get through as quickly as possible.

Grimly, he got up from the kitchen table and went through to the living room where he quickly picked up the most important piece of work that he had to complete today. It was the latest trade agreements between KO-35, Mirinoi and Onyx which he, as a representative of the Space Rangers, had to read over to ensure that the agreements were fair and reasonable for all parties involved in the deal.

After stifling a yawn, since, trade agreements weren't the most interesting of reads after all, he quickly set to work.

_This is definitely going to take a while... _Zhane thought as he unfurled the long scroll that held the details of the trade agreements and started to read through them.

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, early morning, some time later_

"... And, hopefully with all these improvements, the new version of D.E.C.A. will run even smoother and faster than the current one," Andros said as he finished detailing all of the improvements that he had either planned to make, or had already made, to the original D.E.C.A.'s code.

Ashley smiled at him as both of them finished their breakfasts at that moment.

"Your improvements to D.E.C.A. sound really interesting, Andros," she said. "When you have finished them, I'll be interested to see D.E.C.A Version Two in action."

She stood at that moment and came over to his side of the table.

"Well, I had better be going now," she said as she grinned. "I don't want to keep the others waiting for me again like I did last week when _you _held me up."

"I'll see you later then," Andros smiled as he kissed her goodbye. "Tell the others that I said hi and that I'm sorry that I haven't been able to visit recently as well."

"They understand, Andros," Ashley assured him before she left.

As soon as she was gone, Andros sighed and made his way through to his computer system where he sat down, called up the program code of D.E.C.A. Version Two and started working upon the final few improvements.

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, some time later_

Despite trying to concentrate upon other things, Karone could not get that horrible feeling that something was very wrong in the universe that morning out of her mind as she walked through the glade. And this worried her.

Grimly, she sat down against one of the nearby trees and looked up at the clear blue sky at that moment. This was definitely very bad.

_Why am I feeling this way? _Karone wondered as she sat there. _And why do I get the feeling that the lasting peace that we've had on KO-35 is about to be violently ruined very soon?_

_KO-35, Zhane and Karone's home, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, at that very moment_

As he stifled another yawn as he read a particularly wordy, and exceptionally boring, paragraph of the trade agreements which dealt with what the planets would not be sharing with each other, Zhane sat back on sofa and grimaced.

It was fairly obvious that the various pieces of technology belonging to the Power Rangers on KO-35 or on Mirinoi _weren't _going to be shared with the other planets. It was also fairly obvious that the Power Rangers _themselves _were completely independent of the governments of the planets that they were living on within reason and were not, in any way, shape or form, available for hire if their services were required by the planet's government to deal with their problems _unless _the Power Rangers themselves wanted to step in to help.

Zhane just couldn't understand why they hadn't just stated this fact plainly since he, and all of the other Rangers, knew that the government of Onyx would probably now try to twist the wordy language in an attempt to gain the Power Rangers help to deal with all the problems stemming from corruption and seedy organisations on the planet.

He sighed. This was definitely going to be a problem and, grimly, he scribbled a note to himself on a nearby piece of paper to inform Andros about this so that the Power Rangers would be prepared should Onyx request their aid.

For once, as he started to read through the trade agreements again with a sigh, he wished that something truly interesting would actually happen so that he would have an excuse not to handle the boring agreements and paperwork that he always had to oversee on the rest of the Power Ranger's behalf to ensure that there wasn't anything harmful to them or to the innocent people of the various planets involved secretly hidden within their wordy language.

Little did he realise at that very moment that he would soon regret ever making that wish as he stifled yet another yawn at that very moment and continued to read through the trade agreements.

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, also at that very moment_

As Andros finished with the last improvement that he needed to make to D.E.C.A. Version Two, he grimaced before he sat back in his chair and rested for a moment.

Now, all he had to do was fix a number of minor problems which had been found in the original D.E.C.A.'s code over the years before D.E.C.A. Version Two would be complete. Given the fact that only a few of the problems required extensive patches to the program code, and the rest only required one or two small corrections, he was pretty sure that it wouldn't take him very long to fix the problems and finish the new version of D.E.C.A. off.

_Well, there's no sense stopping now given that D.E.C.A. Version Two is almost complete... _Andros thought before he started to work upon correcting the problems to D.E.C.A.'s code with a sigh.

_KO-35, just outside Carlos's house, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-morning, also at that very moment_

When Ashley arrived at Carlos's house, she wasn't surprised to find that TJ and Cassie were waiting with Carlos upon his porch for her.

"Morning, Ashley," TJ greeted as she walked up the steps to reach their side. "How are you this week?"

"I'm fine," Ashley assured. "And so is Andros who told me to tell all of you that he said hi and that he is sorry that he hasn't been able to visit recently."

Carlos sighed but smiled sadly.

"We understand, Ashley. Andros is busy dealing with all of his extra duties, and everything that they entail, like always," Carlos said grimly. "What's he working on now?"

"A new version of D.E.C.A. to replace the current version on the Astro Megaship," Ashley admitted. "He believes that he will be able to finish it today. Apparently, it's that secret project which I told all of you about that he has been working for the past few weeks."

"Really?" TJ said in surprise. Ashley nodded.

"D.E.C.A. has definitely been needing an upgrade for some time now," Carlos admitted. "After the Astro Megaship nearly crashed last month because of D.E.C.A.'s faults when Andros travelled to Mirinoi to speak to Mike face to face, it became quite clear to both Andros and I that improvements had to be made to the original D.E.C.A. when we went through D.E.C.A's program code and found a lot of potentially fatal errors in the program's code."

TJ, Cassie and Ashley were shocked at this. They had not known about the near crash on Mirinoi and all of them resolved to have words with Andros about it at a later date.

"If the improvements weren't made, I warned Andros that the Astro Megaship would have to have been permanently grounded as a safety precaution since the original D.E.C.A. appeared to have become rather unstable," Carlos continued with a sigh. "Andros took my advice on board and told me not to breathe a word about the problems with D.E.C.A. to anyone untrustworthy. Both of us did agree that we _would _eventually get round to replacing D.E.C.A. but that was the last time Andros and I talked about the subject."

"So you didn't know that he had already started working on D.E.C.A. Version Two then?" Cassie guessed. Carlos nodded in reply to this question.

"That's probably because Andros didn't want word of the problems with D.E.C.A. to be common knowledge until _after_ they are fixed, Cassie," TJ pointed out. "If our enemies were to hear about it, our lives would quickly be at risk because our enemies would quickly try to exploit D.E.C.A.'s weaknesses."

"TJ, you have forgotten that we currently have no enemies right now," Ashley said quietly. "Due to the fact that it has been so quiet and peaceful out here, we haven't had to use our morphers for anything except the formal events that we've had to attend over the past two years."

Cassie smiled at this.

"That's true, TJ," she pointed out. "We really haven't had a lot of... action recently."

TJ nodded as he sighed.

"Things have been somewhat dull over the past two years," he admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I like peace and quiet as much as the next Power Ranger but..."

"Things have just been _too _quiet," Carlos finished grimly. "Just like that time before the restoration of the Psycho Rangers."

All four of them shuddered at this. The Psycho Rangers were a rather sensitive subject for the Space Rangers which they never often mentioned unless they really had to after how close Psycho Pink had come to killing Kendrix Morgan, the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger, that fateful day all those years ago.

"Carlos, although we get your point that we were nearly destroyed during the last period it was _too _quiet on KO-35, please don't mention the Psycho Rangers again if you can help it. They're a taboo subject, after all," TJ reminded him firmly.

"All right, I won't mention them again," Carlos said grimly. "Let's go inside."

All four of them followed Carlos as they headed inside the house.

"However, that doesn't mean that we _can't _talk about the good old times. Like that time when..." Carlos continued with a malicious smirk as he closed his front door behind them once everyone was inside.

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, some time later_

"Yes!" Andros exclaimed loudly as he managed to fix all of the problems with the original D.E.C.A.'s code. D.E.C.A. Version Two was now finally complete.

With a smile on his face, he saved the program code onto a disk which he then secured in his safe in his bedroom. From there, he then proceeded to wipe the copy of the program code from his computer to reduce the risk of the program falling into the wrong hands.

He was then about to go have lunch but, before he could, the incoming emergency communication alarm went off. As a warning message appeared on the screen in front of him, Andros paled.

_Something is wrong if one of my friends is sending me an urgent message. _Andros thought as he furiously typed in several lines of code to retrieve the message.

_It's from Billy on Aquitar._ Andros thought after he checked the origin of the message as he grimaced. _And that means that something has to be exceptionally wrong if he didn't have time to get in touch with me personally. This is not good._

Grimly, he sat back and entered the few lines of code required to play the message. Usually, anything Billy had to say could not be ignored and Andros was positive that this time would definitely not be an exception to that rule.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," the message said.

A violent shiver ran down Andros's spine at that moment as he paled even further once the message had finished. This was definitely not good at all.

With Dark Specter and _all _of his allies back, a second Space War was definitely on the horizon. Except, this time, the Power Rangers in Space and on Earth would be at an even greater disadvantage than they had been during the first Space War.

At that moment, he paled even further as he realised something important.

With Dark Specter back, he would go after Karone again so that he could get Astronema, his Princess of Darkness, back. His sister would be in great danger right now and Andros knew that he had to get to her first before Dark Specter's minions, wherever they happened to be in the universe right now, did.

Without hesitating, Andros got up out of his chair at that moment before he rushed out of his house whilst he hoped desperately that he wasn't already too late to save his sister from the forces of Dark Specter.

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, late morning, at that very moment_

As Karone sat under the tree, she suddenly became aware that she wasn't alone as she heard a branch snap. As quickly as possible, she got onto her feet and into a defensive position.

"Hello, my Princess," he said with a smile as he entered the glade.

"You," Karone hissed.

_KO-35, Zhane and Karone's home, the fateful day of the Accident, early afternoon, some time later_

Just as Zhane finally finished reading through the trade agreements, there was a frantic knock at his door.

_I wonder who that could be? _Zhane thought as he sat the trade agreements onto the nearby table before he rushed to answer the door. He was surprised to find Andros, completely out of breath, standing on his porch with a worried expression upon his face.

"Zhane, where is Karone?" Andros demanded.

"She went for a walk this morning, Andros, and has not yet returned," Zhane answered. Andros paled at this.

"Zhane, I need you to go fetch the other Space Rangers whilst I go find her," Andros said grimly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Zhane asked.

"Karone is in danger," Andros answered grimly. "Something terrible has happened."

Zhane paled at this but grimly nodded.

"Thanks, Zhane," Andros said with a small smile as Zhane stepped out onto the porch and shut his door behind him. Both of them then went their separate ways at that moment as Andros rushed off to find Karone whilst Zhane rushed in the opposite direction to get to Carlos's house which was where he guessed that he would probably find the other Space Rangers.

_I'm coming, Karone. _Andros thought as he ran.

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-afternoon, some time later_

"You are a fool to try to resist me, my Princess," Ecliptor snarled as threw Karone to the ground just as Andros entered the glade. Karone appeared to have put up a valiant fight, since she was covered in lots of cuts and bruises, but Ecliptor in the end was obviously just too much for her to handle.

"Get away from her!" Andros yelled as he leapt into battle and managed to knock Ecliptor away from Karone with a well aimed kick as he used the element of surprise to his advantage.

"Andros," Karone said in relief as her brother stood protectively in front of her as she scrambled back onto her feet.

"Red Ranger," Ecliptor hissed.

"Ecliptor, I will not let you harm my sister," Andros replied as he got into a defensive stance.

"Get out of my way, Red Ranger," Ecliptor replied. "Dark Specter and I want our Princess back."

Andros shook his head. He would never abandon his sister to Dark Specter or to any of the other evils. Ecliptor would have to destroy him first.

"Make me," he countered.

"So be it," Ecliptor snarled as he charged at Andros. Andros grimaced as he quickly flicked open his Astro Morpher to reveal the keypad as he punched in 355 before he activated it by hitting enter as he called, "Let's Rocket!"

He morphed into the Red Space Ranger at that moment before he drew his Spiral Saber and met Ecliptor head on.

"Karone, get out of here," Andros exclaimed. "I'll handle this."

"But Andros..." Karone began as Andros and Ecliptor became locked in a deadly duel.

"Go, Karone," Andros exclaimed as dodged a powerful blow from Ecliptor whilst blocking a subsequent blow with his Spiral Saber. Karone stood and watched helplessly as she struggled to decide whether to stay or leave whilst Andros and Ecliptor duelled.

For several moments, she watched as they fought back and forth until Andros made a mistake as he put just a little too much power into one of his blows. Before Ecliptor could take advantage of Andros's mistake, though, Karone distracted him with a well aimed kick to the chest after she had made her decision. She had no idea how Ecliptor was back again in the first place but she couldn't just flee and leave her brother here to deal with Ecliptor on his own.

"Karone, what are you doing?" Andros exclaimed as both of them dodged Ecliptor's blows. "Just get out of here."

"I'm not leaving you to deal with Ecliptor on your own, Andros," she countered as both of them dodged more of Ecliptor's blows again. "So I'm doing the only thing that I can do. I'm helping you."

"But Karone..." Andros began. He never got a chance to finish his sentence, though, because Ecliptor quickly managed to take advantage of their conversation to knock Karone into the trunk of one of the nearby trees. As she hit the tree with a sharp gasp, Andros turned to look at her in horror.

"Karone!" he exclaimed as he moved to go to her side and momentarily forgot all about Ecliptor.

"Andros, look out!" Karone screamed in horror as Ecliptor lunged at him. Unfortunately, Andros was taken by surprise which allowed Ecliptor managed to deal him a powerful blow to the head after disarming him before he had the chance to defend himself appropriately.

With a sharp gasp, Andros fell to his knees and powered down as his surroundings became rather hazy. For a few moments, time seemed to stop as he knelt there until he toppled onto the ground and barely managed to curl into a foetal position to protect himself in case Ecliptor tried to attack him whilst he was down.

"Andros, no!" Karone screamed as she tried to rush to his side. Ecliptor barred her path, though, and the last thing that Andros saw before he blacked out was Ecliptor scooping up Karone and spiriting her away despite her futile attempts to struggle free of his grasp.

_KO-35, Carlos's house, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-afternoon, at that very moment_

When Zhane rushed into Carlos's house, he found the four Rangers sitting around a table laughing and joking with each other. All four of them quickly turned their attention towards him, though, when he loudly coughed to grab their attention.

"Zhane, what are you doing here?" Ashley demanded.

Zhane didn't reply as he tried to catch his breath. TJ and Carlos picked up on his grim expression and knew instantly that there was something very wrong.

"Zhane, what's wrong?" Carlos said softly.

"It's Karone," Zhane answered as a pained expression spread across his face. "She's in danger. Andros was frantically looking for her earlier after he had heard about something terrible that has happened. When he learned that Karone had gone for a walk from me, he sent me to fetch you whilst he went after her himself. You've got to come quickly."

"What's happened?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know," Zhane replied. "Andros wouldn't tell me anything before he went off in search of Karone. He was really worried, though, if his expression was anything to go by."

"Andros never gets worried about anything unless there is an extremely good reason," Carlos said grimly. "Something really terrible must have happened that affects Karone in some way for him to react the way that he has done."

TJ stood up at that moment.

"Let's go," he stated firmly. "Andros would not have summoned us unless he really needed us."

The other three Rangers sitting at the table nodded and stood. Then, all five Space Rangers rushed out of the house together to find Andros and Karone. None of them knew that for one of them, their aid would come too late...

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, late afternoon, some time later_

When the five Space Rangers finally found Andros, he lay unconscious in the centre of the glade with a horde of Quantrons completely swarming around him.

"Andros!" Ashley screamed. "No!"

"Morph, now!" Zhane barked as he pulled out his Digimorpher and flipped it open. TJ, Cassie, Carlos and Ashley flipped open their Astro Morphers at his command.

"Let's Rocket!" the five Space Rangers called as they punched in the required digits and hit enter. Seconds later, the five of them morphed and quickly used their weapons to take out the horde of Quantrons around him.

Almost as soon as the Quantrons were destroyed, they powered down and Ashley rushed to Andros's side.

"Andros, Andros," Ashley said as she took him into her lap and gently shook him. He didn't respond but, when she checked his pulse, she was relieved to discover that he was just unconscious.

"Man, what are Quantrons doing back here on KO-35?" TJ wondered aloud. "And where the hell is Karone?"

"Unfortunately, TJ, I believe that the only person who knows the answer to both of your questions is currently unconscious in Ashley's lap," Zhane said quietly.

"But what if Andros doesn't wake up any time soon?" TJ demanded.

"He will," Cassie stated firmly as she knelt at Andros's side and checked his forehead. "Andros appears only to have a light concussion which means that his suit must have taken the rest of the damage so, besides a splitting headache, he'll definitely be fine very soon."

"Until then, we will just have to wait," Carlos said grimly. "There is nothing more that we can do for him or Karone."

Ashley bit her lip at this as she looked at Andros.

_Please wake up soon, Andros... _she silently pleaded as she closed her eyes. _And please be all right too..._

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, some time later again_

A soft groan alerted Ashley to the fact that Andros was finally waking some time later. Startled, she looked down to see Andros's eyelids fluttering wildly and she sighed in relief.

"Guys, Andros is coming round!" Ashley exclaimed as she looked back up at the other Space Rangers who had been, up until now, pacing endlessly up and down in the glade as they waited for Andros to awaken. Anxiously, all four of them gathered around her with relieved expressions upon their faces.

"Andros," Ashley said softly. "Andros..."

Andros groaned softly at this and he suddenly gasped as he opened his eyes.

"Ashley? Guys? I..." Andros began in confusion as he clutched his forehead and winced in pain before his last memories came flooding back to him. He took on a horrified and worried expression at that moment.

"Karone? Where is she?" he demanded as he sat up.

"Not here, Andros," Zhane answered. "What happened to you?"

"I found Karone fighting Ecliptor here," Andros replied softly. "As soon as I arrived, I rushed into battle to protect her. Whilst I was Ecliptor, I told Karone to leave but she refused to leave me. We ended up fighting against Ecliptor together and then..."

"Andros, what happened then?" Cassie said softly.

"Karone was thrown against one of the tree trunks. Then, I forgot all about my surroundings and Ecliptor for just a moment when I tried to rush to her side," he replied softly.

"I'm betting that your moment of distraction was one that Ecliptor took full advantage of," TJ guessed. Andros nodded.

"He dealt me a blow to the head which caused me to power down before I collapsed onto the ground," Andros continued. "The last thing that I remember seeing was Ecliptor carrying Karone away before I passed out."

He then shakily got onto his feet at that moment with Ashley's help.

"I'm going after Ecliptor," he said firmly. "If I hurry, I might be able to stop him from turning Karone back into Astronema again."

At that moment, the ground shook wildly and all of the Space Rangers struggled to stay on their feet for several minutes until the tremors had completely subsided.

"Red Ranger, you are already too late," a chilling voice cackled. Whilst the other five Space Rangers were stunned when they saw the source of the cackling towering above them, Andros was not. Instead, he was both horrified and furious at the implications of the villain's words.

"Dark Specter, where is Karone?" Andros yelled. "What have you done to her?"

"Your sister is gone," Dark Specter growled. "Astronema, the Princess of Darkness, is at my side once again."

Andros paled at this.

"No..." Andros said in horror.

"Yes, Red Ranger," Dark Specter countered with a vicious grin. "And, now, I must take my leave of you and your Space Rangers. My princess and I have a few things to collect so that we can go out into space and gather an army to conquer the universe once again."

"You'll never get away with this, Dark Specter!" Zhane exclaimed. "We will get Karone back."

"We'll see. Enjoy my revenge, Rangers," Dark Specter cackled before he suddenly vanished as there was a loud explosion that sent a massive fireball into the air off in the distance.

"What the hell was that?" TJ swore.

"It looks to be coming from the spacecraft hangars," Carlos said before he grimaced once he had scanned their surroundings. "We have our own problem right now, though. Look!"

Nearby, a rogue Quantron, which must have been separated from the group that the other Space Rangers had destroyed to protect Andros, rapidly grew to a massive size at that moment.

"That's not good," TJ said firmly.

"Forget that Quantron, I'm going after Karone," Andros said simply as he turned away from them. He was about to leave the glade when he was stopped by Zhane.

"No, Andros," Zhane said softly. "Your sister is not more important than the rest of KO-35. You know that she wouldn't want you to risk other people's lives by going after her and leaving the people of KO-35 defenceless. Please we need to get rid of that massive Quantron first _before _we go after Karone."

"But..." Andros began with a pained expression upon his face.

"Zhane's right, Andros," Ashley added in. "Please, Andros, do not make a terrible mistake by allowing your grief to cloud your judgement. Please."

Andros closed his eyes at that moment.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Andros said quietly before he trailed off as tears stung his cheeks.

"We know, Andros," Ashley reassured him. "We'll get rid of this oversized Quantron using the nearby Astro Megaship and _then _we'll get Karone."

The others agreed and, with a sad smile, Andros reluctantly nodded in agreement with them.

"Let's go," he said grimly to them. The others nodded and, together, the six Space Rangers rushed out of the glade to get to the Astro Megaship.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Accident, early evening, some time later_

"D.E.C.A., raise the shields to full power," Andros commanded as the six Space Rangers rushed into the cockpit of the Astro Megaship and took up their positions. Andros, at the helm, quickly took the ship into the air.

"As you command," D.E.C.A. replied simply as Andros piloted the Astro Megaship into position in front of the Quantron.

Just as the shields were raised, the massive Quantron instantly tried to strike the Astro Megaship down but Andros managed to steer the ship out of harms way before he retaliated using the mega lasers. Despite the Quantron's attempt to dodge the attack, the mega lasers still struck true and the Quantron stumbled back in agony from the Megaship as it hissed in pain. However, Andros then had to violently steer the Astro Megaship to the right to avoid the powerful blow that the Quantron tried to deliver in retaliation.

For several more minutes, blows were hastily exchanged between the Astro Megaship and the Quantron until, finally, Andros had officially had enough.

"I haven't got time for this," Andros exclaimed loudly in frustration. "D.E.C.A., cut power to the shields and reroute all of it to the mega lasers."

"As you command," D.E.C.A. replied.

"Andros, isn't that..." TJ began. Andros, however, cut him off as he steered the Astro Megaship to the left to avoid another dangerous blow from the Quantron before he retaliated using the mega lasers once again.

"Take that," Andros said grimly in satisfaction as the lasers struck true once again and hit the Quantron in the chest. This time, the Quantron was destroyed in a massive explosion caused by the overpowered laser beams which cut right through the Quantron's armour and destroyed its internal circuitry.

As soon as it was destroyed, Andros sighed in relief.

"Zhane, take us down," Andros commanded. "I'm going after Karone now."

Zhane nodded and took over from Andros at the helm whilst Andros rushed out of the cockpit. TJ, Cassie, Carlos and Ashley shared worried looks amongst themselves before they looked to Zhane for guidance.

"Go after him," Zhane said with a sigh."Andros should not be left alone right now so don't let him out of your sight. And, please, make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid."

"We will," Ashley reassured him as the four of them rushed out of the cockpit to leave Zhane to land the Astro Megaship by himself.

_KO-35, Glade, the fateful day of the Accident, mid-evening, some time later_

As soon as the Astro Megaship had landed, the ramp was lowered and Andros rushed back into the glade. From there, he was about to rush off in search of Karone when a second massive explosion went off and sent another fireball into the sky.

Andros watched as the massive spacecraft which had once belonged to Dark Specter's forces, that had been remade into the pride of the KO-35 fleet after the first Space War, rose up from the source of the fireball and took off. It then hovered in the air above the glade for a moment as Dark Specter reappeared again.

"Goodbye, Red Ranger. You are definitely too late to save your sister now!" Dark Specter cackled before he vanished once again as the spacecraft took off. Andros watched in horror as it quickly left KO-35 and, just as he heard TJ, Carlos, Cassie and Ashley rush down the ramp behind him, he promptly started trembling as the shock of losing his sister to Dark Specter truly set in.

"Andros!" Ashley exclaimed in horror as Andros powered down before her eyes and, before anyone could get to his side, promptly passed out.


	18. Chapter 7: Andros's Restoration

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 7: Andros's Restoration

by Lauraac2110

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, late evening, some time later_

As Ashley walked into the living room, Zhane, Carlos, Cassie and TJ instantly got up from the sofa with anxious expressions upon their faces.

"How is he?" TJ asked.

"He's still unconscious," Ashley answered. "Guys, I'm afraid that we're just going to have to wait until he wakes up on his own. I was unable to wake him no matter what I tried."

Everyone fell silent for several moments before, finally, Zhane broke the silence with a sigh.

"Given what has happened today, I don't think that it would be a good idea for us to stand around and do nothing whilst we wait for Andros to awaken. Perhaps we should try to find out exactly what it was that Andros found out earlier whilst he's unconscious," Zhane suggested.

"If he found out about the fact that Dark Specter had returned, and that Karone was in danger, from a message from one of our allies, it should be on his computer somewhere so perhaps we should start by checking it," TJ pointed out after a moment.

"It's through here," Ashley said as she led them to the computer system. Carlos sat down in the chair in front of it and, after taking a moment to familiarise himself with the controls, he furiously began to enter several lines of code to check for messages into the system.

Several minutes later, he grimaced as he discovered that Andros had received a message from one of their allies. He typed in several more lines of code, checked over the results and turned to the others.

"Guys, there is a message from Billy on Aquitar here," Carlos said. "From the information that I've pulled from the system, it was received and played by Andros this morning."

"That has to be where he found out about Dark Specter from," TJ said firmly. "Carlos, can you play the message?"

Carlos nodded.

"It wasn't deleted so I should be able to play it," he confirmed. "Give me a minute."

With that, Carlos turned back to the computer and entered several more lines of code. Seconds later, he sat back to listen to the message with everyone else as it started to play.

"To all Power Rangers and Allies In Space,

This is Billy Cranston. If you don't know already, we have a massive problem in the form of _all, _and yes I said all, the villains that we have previously destroyed over the years who have been revived. You're probably wondering _how _this happened.

Venjix was destroyed today and his destruction unleashed a massive wave of evil energy off the scale which caused the revival of the evils. I do not know how he was defeated nor by whom. All I know is that he is gone.

You are all in great danger. My advice to you is to band together with your allies and friends against the evils for we are in for a long road ahead. Today is the beginning of a war that will become the greatest war in history surpassing even the Space War fought out here by the Space Rangers.

I have some good news. Tommy Oliver is alive and survived the invasion in hiding. Unfortunately, Earth is completely overrun by evils so I'm heading to the planet to meet up with him so that we can start gathering the scattered Rangers together and to work upon defeating the evils which is what I assume that he needs me for. I will not be out of contact, though, so if you need any advice do not hesitate to contact me on Earth.

No matter what happens, I want all of you to remember that you have to work together to keep the evils as far away from Earth as possible for as long as you possibly can whilst you try to thin their ranks. The more time you can buy for us to get defences prepared on Earth, the better, for the universe will be in grave peril if Earth falls to evil in the war.

If you need any help, do not hesitate to contact Dimitria of Inquiris who I'm relieved to inform you is now awake once again. She is an excellent guide and should be able to guide you adequately when you need advice as you should know.

The odds may be stacked against us, dramatically, but we've overcome terrible odds before so I'm positive that we can do it again," the message said.

All five Space Rangers paled. All of them were horrified by the implications of the message. If all of their enemies were back, they were definitely in a lot of trouble especially if they all got together to attempt to take over the universe.

"Man, we're facing _all _of our greatest enemies again?" TJ exclaimed in horror. "This has got to be a joke."

"I'm afraid it's not a joke, TJ," Zhane said grimly. "Remember, guys, Billy once told us that he _never _lies about anything unless one of the Powers of Good tells him to. I doubt very much that the Powers of Good would _ever _tell him to lie about something as serious as this so I'm inclined to believe that this is the truth."

"The message explains why Dark Specter is back pretty well," Ashley said after a moment as she grimaced. "So I'm also inclined to believe that this is the truth."

One by one, the other three Space Rangers reluctantly nodded at this. If Ashley and Zhane believed Billy's message, the others knew that it _had _to be the truth so they would just have to accept the fact that their greatest enemies were back to cause havoc across the universe once more even if they didn't like the idea.

For a few moments, all five of them were deadly silent before Cassie decided to speak up.

"So that means that we're facing Dark Specter, Divatox and their armies then?" Cassie asked quietly in confirmation.

"We'll also be facing King Mondo and his Machine Empire out here as well, Cassie, but yes we'll be facing Dark Specter, Divatox and their armies," Zhane added.

TJ swore.

"We're definitely in trouble. There's absolutely no way that we'll be able to fight on more than one front alone," he said grimly. "We're good fighters but we're not that good."

"TJ, I don't think that we'll be fighting on more than one front alone," Ashley assured him. "I'm pretty sure that the other Power Rangers and our allies out here in Space will be fighting with us."

"What about the villains on Earth?" Cassie asked. "What happens if they leave Earth to try to conquer one of the planets out here?"

"I don't think that the villains on Earth will be a problem for us, Cassie," Carlos added grimly. "I'm pretty sure that the villains on Earth will be far too busy trying to destroy Tommy and his allies to bother trying to conquer one of the planets out in Space."

"I agree," Zhane said after everyone took a moment to consider Carlos's argument. "It is highly unlikely that we'll be bothered by any of the villains on Earth at any time during this war. They'll definitely be far too busy trying to destroy the defenders of Earth to bother us."

Zhane then smiled sadly as the topic of the conversation changed from the evils that they would be facing to the only exceptionally good piece of news in the message.

"At least, with Dimitria awake, we'll have one of the Powers of Good on hand if we ever need good advice," he continued. "Given her abilities, knowledge and experience, I'd definitely say that having Dimitria around is a good thing."

"Unfortunately, though, we can't get in contact with her right now for advice. After all, she'll only talk directly with the few Power Rangers and their allies who have the communication codes for Inquiris," Ashley said grimly. "Here on KO-35, Andros is the only one with the communication codes and he is currently unconscious so we have no way of getting them from him. And, now that Billy has left Aquitar, there is no one that we can get in touch with to get the codes in the first place."

Everyone grimaced at this. Zhane, however, took on a determined expression.

"Guys, even though we're on our own for now, we're still not going to stand around and do nothing whilst waiting for Andros to wake up," Zhane said grimly. "Given what we've just learned, I think that it is safe to assume that there is a very small chance that our enemies could take advantage of the fact that Andros is currently incapacitated by attacking us. Hence, we need to start preparing ourselves to defend KO-35 so that we're not caught unawares."

The other four Space Rangers grimly nodded at this as Zhane sighed.

"Until Andros wakes, I am now in charge. Personally, I'd rather TJ was in charge but..." Zhane continued.

"The government prefer dealing with you than me," TJ sighed. "And, after what's happened, you envision that we're going to have to explain a few things to them which would be received better if you told them rather than me."

"Unfortunately, yes," Zhane said grimly. "However, it's up to you as you are technically the official second in command."

"Zhane," TJ said calmly. "I'd honestly prefer it if you were in charge."

"Fine. Here is what we're going to do. Carlos, TJ, I want you to go check Andros's safe to see if he completed that new version of D.E.C.A. that he told Ashley about this morning," Zhane commanded. "If he has, I want both of you to go install it on the Astro Megaship immediately since I have a feeling that we're going to be needing it very soon. Please also make sure that you check that D.E.C.A. doesn't have any parts that are in need of repair as well."

Both of them nodded and left the room as Zhane turned to Cassie.

"Cassie, it has been a long time since we've needed a lot of the equipment stored on the Astro Megaship. I want you to go check that all of our equipment is still stored in there. I also want you to check that all of the equipment is in working condition as well," Zhane said grimly. "If you have time, I want you to also use D.E.C.A. to check the externally stored Zords as well to ensure that they weren't discovered, damaged or destroyed by Dark Specter's forces."

Cassie nodded and left the room leaving Ashley and Zhane alone in Andros's home.

"And me?" Ashley asked.

"You're staying here, Ashley. Andros is going to need both of us when he wakes up," Zhane said grimly. "I don't think that he has taken what happened to Karone too well."

"Neither do I," Ashley admitted.

At that moment, the incoming emergency communication alarm went off and, with a sigh, Zhane sat in the chair that Carlos had vacated before he furiously typed in several lines of code.

"Who is trying to contact us?" Ashley asked curiously. Zhane sighed.

"It's the government," Zhane answered grimly. "Or, more specifically, Kinwon and Taikwa. They're after an explanation about what happened today like I envisioned they would be."

"Oh," Ashley said simply.

"Just follow my lead," Zhane said as he began to furiously type in numerous commands to set up a communication link. Several minutes later, Kinwon and Taikwa appeared on-screen.

Both of them were wearing the formal uniforms befitting their rank which were slightly similar to what they had worn before as high ranking members of the Rebels but slightly more ornate. They were dusted with a fine layer of ash suggesting that they had likely visited the spacecraft hangar after it had been blown up by Ecliptor at some point.

"Zhane, are you and the rest of the Power Rangers all right?" Taikwa demanded as soon as they appeared on-screen. Zhane smiled sadly and wordlessly nodded in response to her question.

"Thank goodness," Kinwon said in relief. "We were all worried about you given what happened earlier."

"We saw the fireballs. What happened?" Zhane said grimly.

"Ecliptor and Astronema. That's what," Taikwa answered darkly. "They showed up at the spacecraft hangar and quickly subdued the guards there. Just as reinforcements arrived to try to stop them, they took off in Dark Specter's prized spacecraft."

Zhane and Ashley paled at this. If Dark Specter had his prized spacecraft, the Space Rangers were almost certainly in trouble.

"Unfortunately, the news gets worse," Taikwa warned. "Before they fled the planet, Ecliptor and Astronema almost completely destroyed the hangar. From the preliminary reports, it appears that KO-35 is not going to be able to recover from the damage that they've done any time soon."

Both Zhane and Ashley turned exceptionally grim at this.

"How bad?" Ashley dared to ask.

"We've lost three quarters of our fleet," Kinwon answered simply. "Fortunately, no one is dead. Although, almost a dozen guards who worked at the spacecraft hangar were seriously injured. Several of the maintenance personnel who were working on the massive spacecraft itself have minor injuries. Everyone else escaped unharmed."

"Kinwon and I believe that, at best, we might be able to replace a quarter of the spacecrafts that were destroyed today within a year or two," Taikwa continued. "To restore KO-35's fleet utterly, though, it is going to take us at least a decade, perhaps even two, of exceptionally hard work even if we get help from some of the nearby planets."

"That's definitely not good news," Zhane said grimly. "Unfortunately, we may have worse news for you. You see..."

And, with that, Zhane quickly started to tell Taikwa and Kinwon about everything that had happened to the Space Rangers that day.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Accident, very late in the evening, some time later_

After they had found the disk containing the code for D.E.C.A. Version Two, Carlos and TJ had taken it straight to the Astro Megaship. From there, the pair of them had headed straight to the cockpit and, after warning D.E.C.A. about the upgrade, they had then proceeded to slot the disk into D.E.C.A.'s disk drive before they had started the installation.

At that very moment, Carlos was currently checking out all of D.E.C.A.'s parts for signs of damage whilst TJ kept an eye on the progress of the installation.

"So far, all of D.E.C.A.'s parts appear to be in good condition," Carlos noted as he finished checking all of D.E.C.A.'s core parts. "How is the installation going?"

"We're at fifty per cent and climbing," TJ replied as Carlos fixed the panel that protected D.E.C.A.'s core parts back into place.

"We had better check D.E.C.A.'s sensors next. If D.E.C.A. has any damaged parts, it is likely that they'll be in that system," Carlos said grimly. "Could you remove that panel over there for me?"

He gestured to a panel near to the door and TJ nodded.

"Just be careful with it, though, TJ. The last time that I took it off, I accidentally managed to damage several of the delicate sensor parts," Carlos warned.

"I will be," TJ promised.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, Storage Bay 1, the fateful day of the Accident, very late in the evening, at that very moment_

As Cassie entered Storage Bay 1, which had not been used for a number of years, the first thing that she did was to switch on the lights in the room. The second, and more important thing, was to have all of the dust removed from the room through the vents.

Then, she grimly started to check each piece of equipment over one by one. First, she checked the Galaxy Gliders. Starting with her own before moving to the others, she checked that each Galaxy Glider had enough fuel before she checked that each of them were in working condition. She smiled, after she had finished checking them, because she found that they were all in good working condition.

Next, she checked the Silver Cycle sitting next to the Galaxy Gliders. It too was in good working condition although she quickly discovered that it desperately needed to be refuelled since the level of fuel in its tanks was quite low.

Finally, she checked the Galactic Rover. It was the most difficult of all of the pieces of equipment stored in this bay to check because it was exceptionally complicated. Cassie spent a long time checking over each of the components of the Galactic Rover, one by one, until she was finally satisfied that it was in good working condition.

As soon as she had finished with the Galactic Rover, Cassie instantly left the bay to check on the biggest, and most complicated, piece of equipment that she had to check, the Megatank, which was stored in a different bay on the other side of the Astro Megaship.

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, very late in the evening, also at that very moment_

"... So, you see, that's what happened," Zhane said grimly as he finally finished his explanation leaving out only what had happened to Andros after Karone had been stolen from him. Kinwon and Taikwa were quite pale for several moments as they conversed privately in hushed voices until they appeared to come to a mutual agreement about whatever it was that they had been discussing in the first place.

"We'll need to discuss this information with several other members of the government at great length," Kinwon said grimly. "Is Andros there, Zhane? We have a few questions that we need to ask him as he is the most experienced Power Ranger on KO-35."

"Unfortunately, no," Zhane lied grimly. "He is busy dealing with something important elsewhere right now. I'll get him to call you in the morning, though, if he can."

Ashley was almost about to demand why Zhane was lying to the government of all people but was hastily prevented by Zhane from saying anything when he stepped on her foot. She flinched in pain.

"All right. Good night, Zhane," Taikwa said as she shut off the communication link just as Zhane removed his foot. As soon as the communication link was down, Ashley whirled upon Zhane.

"Why did you just lie to them?" Ashley demanded.

"It would not have been good for their moral, or for us, if news of Andros's... unconsciousness were to become public knowledge," Zhane answered grimly. "For now, it is best if we keep his condition quiet especially now that Dark Specter and his minions have returned."

At that moment, the incoming emergency communications alarm went off again. Zhane instantly turned to the computer and, grimly, furiously typed into several lines of code to determine the origins of the message.

"Who is it this time?" Ashley asked curiously.

"The Lost Galaxy Rangers on Mirinoi," Zhane answered grimly. "Unfortunately, we can't reply to them until Andros has recovered, otherwise news of his condition will likely spread throughout Space which will almost certainly bring more trouble to KO-35."

Ashley sighed.

"Couldn't we just..." she began. However, she was interrupted mid-sentence by a loud thump which was followed by several sobs a few moments later.

"Andros," both Zhane and Ashley said at the same time in concern before they rushed through to his bedroom.

Neither of them were surprised to find him lying, on the floor, weeping for his sister. Both of them were surprised, however, by just how broken and fragile he appeared to be.

Tears, which he was desperately trying to fight, were streaming down his face. On top of that, all of the life and passion that usually shone in his eyes had apparently died out leaving only sorrow and grief in their place. He had a grief-stricken and defeated expression upon his face which only horrified Ashley who had never seen that look on his face before because Zhane had seen the very same expression on Andros's face the last time that he had learned that Karone had been stolen away from him.

"I'm here, Andros," Ashley said softly as she instantly went to comfort him. She knelt by his side, and took him into her arms, before she whispered softly into his ear, "Let it all out."

With a resounding sob, he clung to her and instantly started to weep with a sorrowful cry whilst Zhane, sadly, watched on.

_Oh Andros... _Zhane thought sorrowfully.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, the fateful day of the Accident, very, very late in the evening, some time later_

As TJ and Carlos fixed a panel near to the viewing screen back into place, there was a loud beep to signal that D.E.C.A. Version Two had finally been installed.

"D.E.C.A., how do you feel?" Carlos asked hesitantly as he looked to the viewing screen.

"I feel... different," D.E.C.A. answered after a few moments. "According to my preliminary diagnostic tests, though, all of my systems are functioning much better than they were before. There also appears not to be any problems either."

"That's good," TJ said in relief.

"However, I recommend that you run a full set of comprehensive diagnostic tests just to be sure," D.E.C.A. continued.

Carlos sighed and, together, he and TJ went over to one of the nearby consoles to start the comprehensive diagnostic tests.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, Storage Bay 2, the fateful day of the Accident, very, very late in the evening, at that very moment_

At that the very same moment as Carlos and TJ were starting the comprehensive diagnostic tests, Cassie was examining the Megatank with a grimace upon her face.

Unlike the rest of the equipment, she quickly found that it was quite badly damaged and, judging by the fact that most of the exterior was dented and rusted, it was going to need a lot of repairs to restore it to its proper working condition.

On top of all the repairs that she could see that Megatank required, it also looked as if it had been completely forgotten about since the last time it had been used if thick layer of dust covering it was anything to go by. If it hadn't been used in some time, it was very likely that a number of the parts and systems which she couldn't see might have been damaged due to lack of use as well. If that was the case, it would take some time before the Megatank would be available for use.

Zhane definitely was not going to like this news at all. She sighed.

She could already picture his less than pleased reaction to this news, mainly because the Megatank was useful on interplanetary missions, and involuntarily shuddered. This was definitely not good at all.

However, there was way that she could delay the inevitable so, with another sigh, she headed up to the Command Centre to use D.E.C.A. to check the status of the Space Zords that were stored externally in various locations across the galaxy.

As she left, her thoughts turned momentarily to Andros and she hoped, with all her heart, that he would be all right.

_KO-35, Andros's home, the fateful day of the Accident, very, very late in the evening, at that very moment_

"I'm sorry but I honestly don't think I can continue being a Power Ranger, guys," Andros sobbed. "I've lost my sister. What's there left to fight for?"

Zhane and Ashley, who were both looking at him with sorrowful expressions, shook their heads.

"Andros, there's plenty for you to fight for," Zhane said firmly. "Please, you've got to pull yourself together. Without you leading the Space Rangers, Dark Specter and the other forces of evil will be able to easily to take over KO-35. And, if we fall, the rest of Space is likely to fall with us."

"There isn't," Andros despaired. "Karone is gone. I have nothing left to fight for."

"That's not true, Andros," Ashley said softly. "What about me? Or TJ? Or Cassie? Or Carlos? Or even Zhane?"

"Karone was everything to me," Andros sobbed. "I can't do it."

"Andros, you and I promised Karone that we would rescue her should anything ever happen to her," Zhane reminded him. "Are you going to break that promise and give up on her by not fighting to protect everything that she held dear whilst also trying to find a way to restore her back to her true self?"

"No but..." Andros sobbed.

"Are you going to break the promise that you made to me?" Zhane continued. "You promised that we would fight together, side by side, if other evils ever did show up here on KO-35. Did you forget about that?"

Andros was silent at this.

"Please, Andros, we need you. There's still plenty of things to fight for," Ashley begged. "We're Power Rangers. No matter what, we protect those who cannot protect themselves from evil and, even if the odds are stacked against us, we never give up fighting for all that is good in the universe."

"Karone wouldn't want you to be grieving right now, Andros," Zhane added. "Please, we need you. I am as distressed as you are about Karone's loss but, for now, I've put my grief to one side. Right now, we need to concentrate upon dealing with the forces of evil. It's what Karone would have wanted us to do."

Andros looked up at this as his tears abruptly stopped. To their great relief, both of them saw that the spark of life and passion that had suddenly reappeared in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly. "You're both right. Karone wouldn't want me to be grieving right now."

He paused for a moment as he took in a deep shuddering breath before he continued with, "She would want us to get on with our jobs. We're Power Rangers and, momentarily, I had lost sight of what that meant to me whilst I was blinded by my sorrow about losing Karone to Dark Specter again."

"Thanks to both of you, I've found my purpose again," Andros continued with a small sad smile. "I promised that I would rescue her should anything happen to her again so I'm going to do just that. I swear to both of you that I won't stop fighting until I save my sister from Dark Specter."

Andros got up at that moment as he drew himself to full height.

"Zhane, Ashley, I believe I hear the incoming emergency communication alarm," he said softly. "Go send a response to whoever it is and, once I've composed myself in a few moments, I'll speak to them personally."

"It's the Lost Galaxy Rangers on Mirinoi, Andros," Zhane informed him. "Now that you are back with us, I will get onto replying to them immediately. You are the senior Power Ranger out here in Space now that Billy has gone to Earth, Andros, so they'll be looking to you for guidance given what has happened today."

Andros nodded as both Ashley and Zhane left him. He then went into the bathroom, washed all signs of his grief off his face and went back through to the computer where Zhane was rapidly typing in several lines of code. Seconds later, the incoming emergency communication alarm was silenced as Zhane managed to send a response to the Lost Galaxy Rangers on Mirinoi.

"And, now, all we can do is wait for them to get back to us," Andros said grimly.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, the next day, very, very early in the morning, some time later_

As the comprehensive diagnostics checks were finally completed by TJ and Carlos, Cassie swept into the room.

"D.E.C.A., I need you to run a diagnostics check upon our externally stored Zords," she said grimly.

"There is no need," D.E.C.A. assured her. "My sensors indicate that they are all perfectly intact. Dark Specter, it appears, does not know of their locations otherwise he surely would have destroyed them by now."

TJ, Cassie and Carlos sighed in relief at this news.

"That's good. How did the upgrade go?" Cassie asked.

"All systems are functioning at optimum levels," D.E.C.A. responded. "Comprehensive diagnostic checks have not uncovered anything of any concern."

"Then, I guess our work here is done," TJ said grimly. "We had better get back to Andros's place now so that we can give Zhane the good news."

Cassie and Carlos nodded in agreement with him and, with that, the three of them left the Astro Megaship.

_KO-35, Andros's home, very, very early in the morning, at that very moment_

As they received a response from the Lost Galaxy Rangers on Mirinoi, Andros took over from Zhane at the computer and quickly set up a communication link.

As the Lost Galaxy Power Rangers and Mike, the Magna Defender, came up on screen, with two people that none of them instantly recognised with them, Ashley and Zhane moved to either side of Andros so that they could be seen by the Rangers from Mirinoi.

"Lost Galaxy Rangers, Magna Defender, I apologise for not answering your call sooner but we had problems of our own to deal with here on KO-35," Andros said calmly.

"Don't worry about it, Andros," Mike assured him. "We understand."

"Yeah," Leo added grimly. "We had several problems of our own here on Mirinoi as well."

"I suppose introductions are in order," Mike said with a small smile. "Space Rangers, this is Commander Stanton and High Councillor Renier of the Terra Venture High Command. Sir, ma'am, this is Andros, Ashley and Zhane, they are the Red, Yellow and Silver Space Rangers of KO-35 and our close friends."

"And allies," Maya added.

"It is an honour to meet you," High Councillor Renier said with a smile.

"Likewise," Andros agreed before he bluntly said to the Lost Galaxy Rangers, "So all of you finally got caught, then?"

The five Lost Galaxy Rangers of Mirinoi flushed at this before Mike nodded.

"Your luck was, I suppose, going to run out eventually," Andros mused before he smiled, "At least you won't have to come up with ridiculous excuses to hide your activities any longer, I suppose."

"Hey! Some of those excuses were quite good!" Damon protested.

"Oh really?" Commander Stanton said with a raised eyebrow. "Like, that time when you said that you had lost track of time playing basketball, in the outdoor courtyard, and just so happened to fail to notice the monster that had attacked the Command Centre nearby?"

The five Lost Galaxy Rangers and the Magna Defender flinched at this.

"Did I ever tell you guys about the number one rule of lying?" Andros asked with a raised eyebrow. "When you lie, you are supposed to make sure that you tell a tale that is as close to the truth as possible whilst remaining _believable_."

"Lying is not one of my strong points," Maya admitted. "I think that I was responsible for that one if I remember rightly."

"You've gotten better with practice, Maya," Kai assured her. "If I hadn't known that you had lied the last time, I would have believed the excuse you gave for our absence whilst we were at the Galactic Council."

"On a slightly related note," Andros said with a smile. "I'm glad to see that you've seen sense. Once a Ranger or their ally, always a Ranger or their ally no matter what."

"You can thank Mike for that," Leo said firmly. "He was the one that managed to convince us to take up the mantles again."

"I did what I had to do to ensure that all of you did the right thing," Mike said with a shrug. "It was no big deal."

"Actually, it was a big deal," Kendrix countered. "Had you failed to convince us to take up our Quasar Sabers again, Terra Venture, and Mirinoi, could have easily been destroyed."

"Kendrix is right, Mike," Ashley pointed out. "It sounds as if your actions saved Mirinoi from a horrible fate. You should be proud of what you did yesterday."

"Fine," Mike sighed before he added, "By the way, thanks for making those uniforms for us Ashley. The Lost Galaxy Rangers and I definitely appreciate the fact that we will not have to spend a fortune on replacing our everyday clothes this time."

Zhane looked at Ashley questioningly at this but, before he could say anything, Ashley mouthed "later" to him. At that moment, Andros politely coughed.

"I believe that it would be best for us to move on to serious matters now," Andros said grimly at that moment. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you. Ecliptor kidnapped Karone today and it is likely that she has been brainwashed into Astronema again."

As Kendrix and Maya gasped in horror whilst the others paled, Zhane grimaced.

"Dark Specter managed to get his hands on his massive spacecraft as well," Zhane continued. "As soon as he manages to gather together a legion of Quantrons, there's a fair chance that we're going to start having massive problems here on KO-35."

"Man, we thought we had it bad with Scorpius and Trakeena but what happened to you was ten times worse," Damon breathed.

"What happened?" Andros asked.

"Oh, Scorpius and Trakeena sent a legion of Sting Wingers to destroy New Terra Venture," Leo said with a shrug. "Whilst we, the Lost Galaxy Rangers, were busying taking the rest of them out, Mike fought a small contingent to protect the Command Tower. Scorpius and Trakeena showed up, with their generals, and Mike ended up getting badly beaten up by Furio and Treacheron. Before we scared them off, that is."

Andros grimaced.

"Are you all right, Mike?" Zhane asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Mike assured him. "As I said earlier, I'm a little sore but it's nothing that a few days rest won't fix."

Zhane sighed in relief at this whilst Andros nodded.

"Do you think that you'll be capable of interplanetary travel in your current state?" Andros asked.

"Yes, why?" Mike answered immediately.

"I am calling a second Galactic Council so that we can present a united defence against the evils that threaten us out here in Space," Andros said grimly. "If we're going to stand any chance of emerging victorious in the end, we're going to need to work together to defeat our collective enemies."

"Then we shall leave for KO-35 right away, Andros," Leo stated.

"No," Andros said firmly. "You'll go get some rest until morning, have some breakfast and _then _come here to KO-35."

"Don't worry, we will not start the council without you," Ashley assured them.

"Besides, we could all do with some rest," Mike added as he turned to face the five Lost Galaxy Rangers as he spoke. "Especially after what happened to us yesterday."

He then turned back to the screen again with a small smile upon his face.

"Well, I guess that we really should be going," Mike said grimly. "If we want to get some sleep, that is. Bye, Andros, Ashley, Zhane."

"Goodbye," Andros replied as Mike shut off the communication link.

At this, Andros grimly sat back and sighed.

Then, he said, "So, tell me, where are Cassie, TJ and Carlos?"

"Well..." Zhane began as he started to tell Andros all about what he had asked them to do.

_KO-35, Andros's home, very, very early in the morning, a few minutes later_

Just as Zhane finished explaining what he had asked Cassie, TJ and Carlos to do, the three Space Rangers in question entered the room.

"Andros, thank goodness you're back with us," Cassie exclaimed in relief as she went over and hugged him. TJ and Carlos, from where the were standing in the doorway, smiled at this.

"We're glad that you've come to your senses, Andros. We were really worried about you," TJ said with a smile.

"Yeah," Carlos agreed.

"So, how did it go?" Andros asked grimly.

"D.E.C.A. Version Two has been installed," TJ confirmed. "And, according to our comprehensive tests, it works better than the old version of D.E.C.A.. On top of that, D.E.C.A.'s systems are all in good working condition so we will not be needing to repair or replace anything there."

Cassie, at that moment, grimaced.

"All of the Zords are fine," she said grimly. "As for the equipment, almost all of it is in working order although the Silver Cycle desperately needs to be refuelled. The Megatank, however, is going to need a lot of repair work. It appears to have lain, forgotten, in Storage Bay 2 for some time."

Andros grimaced at this.

"I had forgotten that it needed to be repaired. The last time that I nearly got around to repairing it, I was unfortunately distracted by a call from Tommy Oliver saying that he needed to meet me on Onyx," Andros said grimly. "That was... seven years ago now?"

"Andros, you should have asked one of us to repair the Megatank if you were unable to," Zhane exclaimed in anger. "It's going to take us months to fix it at the very least."

"And, until its fixed, we'll be left at quite a disadvantage during interplanetary missions," Carlos said grimly.

"I'm sorry. It completely slipped my mind," Andros apologised. "I've just been so busy doing one thing or another over the years that I..."

"It's all right, Andros. What's done is done," Ashley soothed as he trailed off as she placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder.

For a few moments, everyone in the room was silent until Andros broke the silence with a yawn.

"All of us are going to have a hard time ahead of us," Andros said grimly. "It would be best for all of you to stay here until the morning for the sake of convenience. After breakfast, I will call the remainder of the Power Rangers and their allies together for the second Galactic Council which I intend to hold in the capital Karova. Goodnight."

The other Space Rangers nodded and, silently, all but Zhane left the room.

"Am I doing the right thing, Zhane?" Andros asked softly as he looked to his oldest friend with a sorrowful look upon his face.

"Yes, Andros," Zhane reassured him. "This is what Karone would have wanted you to do. Don't ever forget that."

Andros nodded and he took on a grim look before he stood up. Then, he and Zhane left the room to get some rest themselves.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, outside the Command Tower, very, very early in the morning, at that very moment_

"I guess that this is goodnight, Commander, High Councillor," Mike said politely as he turned to them from where he stood with the Lost Galaxy Rangers just outside the Command Tower.

High Councillor Renier, and Commander Stanton, both nodded at this.

"You'll inform us before you leave, of course?" Commander Stanton asked.

"Of course," Mike promised. The five Lost Galaxy Rangers nodded in agreement with him.

"We had better go then. It seems that we've got a lot of work to do," High Councillor Renier said softly. "Commander?"

Commander Stanton nodded and, together, both of them returned to the lift inside the tower. As soon as they were both gone, everyone looked to Leo for guidance.

"Right, we're all going to meet at Mike's place for breakfast," Leo said firmly. "Until then, goodnight. Just make sure that you at least get four hours rest before then."

The others nodded before all of them went their separate ways to get some rest. As they walked, each one of the six of them wondered what the Galactic Council would bring later on in the day especially now that Andros was the new senior Ranger out in Space.


	19. Chapter 8: The Second Galactic Council

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 8: The Second Galactic Council

by Lauraac2110

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Mike Corbett's Apartment, early morning_

As the five Lost Galaxy Rangers and Mike, the former Magna Defender, sat around the dining table eating breakfast, all of them were quite quiet. After the mayhem of the day before, each of them had slept well and had now gathered in Mike's apartment to discuss a few things before they set off for KO-35.

"It is going to take us some time to get to KO-35 using our Jet Jammers," Leo said grimly as they ate. "Hence, I believe that it would be a good idea for us to leave as soon as we possibly can this morning to ensure that we get to KO-35 in time."

"I agree," Mike said softly before he added, "Since my wounds have sealed shut, I'm coming with all of you as well."

All five of the Lost Galaxy Rangers turned to him.

"Mike..." Leo began.

"No, Leo," Mike said firmly. "Whether you like it or not, I'm coming to the Galactic Council with all of you."

The other four Lost Galaxy Rangers were about to protest at this until Leo silenced them.

"All right, Mike, you can come with us," Leo said as he gave in. "But you're going to promise me that you'll stay out of the action if we get into a battle with our enemies whilst we're on KO-35."

"I promise you, Leo," Mike reassured him. Leo nodded before he turned his attention back to the others.

"I think that it is time that we take a leaf out of the Space Ranger's book," Leo informed them at that moment. "To be honest, I don't think that there is any real point in us hiding our identities from everyone now that the secret is out."

"What?" Kai exclaimed incredulously. "You can't be serious, Leo!"

"Hear me out," Leo responded at that moment before he continued with, "I don't really want to go public either, guys. However, I believe that we should come clean because, if we continue to hide our identities, I'm fairly certain that our enemies will use the fact that we're keeping secrets against us which could, potentially, result in the destruction of everything that we've worked hard to establish and protect."

Whilst the other four were quietly considering Leo's words, Mike was silently proud of the level of maturity that Leo was displaying at that moment by explaining his reasoning to the others instead of getting angry at them like Reds often did.

_I never knew that you had it in you to be so mature, Leo. _Mike thought as a sad smile appeared on his face. _However, you are right. I'm fairly certain that,__ if we don't go public like the Space Rangers have done, our enemies will use it against us which leaves all of us in a rather difficult position._

At that moment, Damon sighed

"You've made a fair point, Leo," Damon admitted. "One that I just so happen to agree with you about."

Kai stared at Damon in disbelief.

"I think that, overall, it would be better for us to come clean about the fact that we are the Power Rangers than to risk alienating the people that we've sworn to protect," Damon continued. "Besides, wouldn't it not be better to get our exposure over and done with so that we can concentrate upon fighting our enemies without having to worry about keeping our real identities secret every time they attack New Terra Venture?"

"Yeah, it would," Kai admitted grudgingly whilst Maya, Mike and Kendrix nodded silently in agreement.

"So we're agreed then?" Leo asked softly as everyone finished their breakfasts. Everyone else nodded wordlessly as Leo stood up at that moment.

"Well, we may as well get our exposure over and done with then," Leo said grimly as he sighed. "We promised Commander Stanton that we would inform him that we're leaving before we head off to KO-35. It is as good a time as any to get the fact that we're the Lost Galaxy Rangers out into the open."

The others nodded in agreement and, calmly, all six of them carried their dishes to the sink before they left Mike's apartment to head to the Command Tower.

_KO-35, Andros's home, early morning, at that very moment_

As Andros came into the dining room at that moment, the other five Space Rangers looked up from where they sat eating their breakfasts. All six of them were wearing their full formal uniforms in preparation for the Galactic Council but only Andros and Zhane seemed comfortable in them as the others were nervously trying to loosen the tight fighting uniform slightly in various different ways.

"I've spoken to Taikwa and Kinwon," Andros informed them as he sat down at the head of the dining table. "We have their permission to use the council chambers in Karova for the second Galactic Council because they understand how important it is that we present a united front against our enemies."

Andros then sighed as he saw the slightly nervous looks on most of the other Space Rangers whilst he started to consume his breakfast which consisted of a few slices of toast and some juice.

"Don't worry, guys," Andros said reassuringly. "This Second Galactic Council will not be anything like the last one."

"After all, Andros won't be using any confusing technical jargon today at the council so everyone should be able to understand him easily enough," Zhane added.

Andros, like most of the other Rangers at the table, smiled at this. All of them saw Billy as a good friend, and liked him immensely, but it was true that Billy often used confusing technical jargon when he spoke which most of the Rangers were often unable to understand unless someone translated what he was saying into simple terms for them.

_Speaking of Billy... _Andros thought at that moment before he swore aloud as he remembered what he had promised Billy when they had last spoke a few weeks ago. He had completely forgotten about it until now because he had been so devoted to his work whilst he worked on the new version of D.E.C.A. that he had not had the time to do much else.

"Andros?" Ashley said in surprise as Andros picked up his plate.

"Sorry, guys, but I've just remembered that Billy asked me to do something for him a few weeks ago that I need to urgently take care of," Andros replied grimly as he stood. "Excuse me."

With that, Andros rushed out the room leaving the other five Space Rangers to eat their breakfast in peace.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Corridor, mid-morning, some time later_

As the five Lost Galaxy Rangers walked down the corridors of the Command Tower, with Mike, the former Magna Defender, at their side, GSA employees were staring at them open-mouthed in shock as they saw their uniforms along with the morphers on their wrists. Behind them, whispers were already beginning to break out amongst the employees who had managed to recover from their shock at seeing their uniforms which was beginning to make the five Lost Galaxy Rangers feel a little nervous.

Mike, however, wasn't feeling nervous at all. In fact, he was walking proudly in a confident manner with a small smile upon his face much to the surprise of his brother and his friends.

"Mike, what's your secret?" Leo asked as they walked. "Everyone is staring and whispering about us yet you are managing to take it all in your stride."

Mike stopped and turned to his brother and the other Lost Galaxy Rangers.

"It's because I understand that being an ally of the Power Rangers is something to be proud of," Mike replied. "Nothing anyone says or thinks will change that."

And, without saying another word, Mike turned away from them and continued down the corridor with the five of them quickly following behind him.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Command Centre, mid-morning, several minutes later_

As they entered the main Command Centre, the entire room fell quiet. It took a few moments for Commander Stanton to realise why but, when he did, he instantly turned around with a grim smile on his face.

"Rangers, Magna Defender," he greeted. "Good morning."

"Commander," Leo replied respectfully. "How is the clean-up operation coming along?"

"Not very well," Commander Stanton replied with a frown. "The damage to the square outside was extensive. It is likely going to take us a few months, perhaps longer, to restore it to its former glory."

Commander Stanton then sighed.

"The media has been demanding an explanation," Commander Stanton continued. "I've arranged a press conference later on today to speak to them."

"Which we'll miss, fortunately, because we're heading to KO-35 for the Galactic Council," Kendrix said in relief.

"Yes," Commander Stanton replied. "You are likely, though, to be the main topic of the conference now that you've decided to reveal yourselves. News, after all, spreads quickly here in Mirinoi."

Leo sighed.

"To be honest, we didn't really want to go public at all," Leo admitted. "However, we agreed that now is probably the best time to come clean given the fact that our enemies would do anything to turn the people that we've sworn to protect against us."

"A sensible decision," Commander Stanton agreed.

"So where is High Councillor Renier?" Maya asked curiously at that moment.

"Resting," Commander Stanton answered calmly. "I had her escorted off the premises an hour or so ago because she could barely keep her eyes open. After staying up all night to deal with the aftermath of what happened yesterday, she was completely exhausted hence, due to the press conference, I felt it best that she got some rest."

Commander Stanton yawned at that moment.

"To be honest, I'm exhausted myself," Commander Stanton informed them. "As soon as you've left, I'm definitely going to go home to get some rest before the press conference. You are leaving now, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir," Mike replied.

"When you get back, I expect to hear a full report about what you have discussed with the other Rangers," Commander Stanton warned before he added, "Good luck."

With that, the five Lost Galaxy Rangers and the Magna Defender nodded before they turned and left the Command Centre taking his words as a dismissal.

_Mirinoi, New Terra Venture, Command Tower, Lost Galaxy Command Centre, mid-morning, several minutes later again_

"So, Mike, just how are you going to get to KO-35 with us?" Leo asked as the lift arrived at the Lost Galaxy Command Centre. As they moved through into the hangar through the silver door, Leo continued with, "Our Jet Jammers are really only capable of carrying one person so none of us are going to be able to safely take you to KO-35."

Mike grinned as he crossed over to the black velvet sheet.

"I have my own means of transportation," Mike countered as he gently partially lifted away the black velvet sheet to reveal a black and gold Jet Jammer before he quickly lowered the sheet again so that no one else could see what else was under there.

"No way," Damon exclaimed. "Andros built you a Jet Jammer?"

Mike nodded as he gently dragged the Jet Jammer into position so that he could easily fly out of the hangar.

"So what else is hidden under that sheet?" Kai asked as Mike gently lowered himself into the cockpit of the Jet Jammer whilst the others did the same behind him.

"As I said yesterday, it's a secret," Mike replied calmly as he quickly calibrated the Jet Jammer to his DNA to ensure that it could never fall into the wrong hands. "You'll find out when I need to use it for the first time but, until then, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to keep you guessing."

At that moment, the engines of Mike's Jet Jammer suddenly activated causing the Jet Jammer to rise off the floor just as the massive red doors at the back of the room opened. The Lost Galaxy Rangers lowered themselves into the cockpits of their Jet Jammers at that moment and, as the engines activated, Mike grinned.

"Last one to KO-35 has to inform Commander Stanton about what happens at the Galactic Council when we get back," he declared before speeding off at full speed with a grin on his face.

"Hey! Mike!" Leo exclaimed before all five of the Lost Galaxy Rangers steered their Jet Jammers after him in hot pursuit.

_KO-35, Andros's home, mid-morning, at that very moment_

As Andros re-entered the kitchen with a grim expression upon his face, everyone turned towards him.

"Andros..." Ashley began hesitantly.

"It's a disaster. Billy is so not going to be pleased about this," Andros grumbled.

"What was it that he asked you to do anyway?" Zhane asked curiously.

"A few weeks ago, Billy remembered hearing something from Tommy a while back about another Power Ranger on one of the other planets out here," Andros informed him. "He asked me to see if I could find the Power Ranger in question for him. Unfortunately, though, he has been missing for the past two years according to the government of his home planet."

"Which means..." Cassie began.

Andros sighed.

"He was most likely on Earth when the Venjix invasion began," Andros replied grimly. "This means that he currently is either a prisoner of the remainder of Venjix's forces or he is in hiding in a remote location somewhere on the planet."

"He could be dead, you know," Carlos said grimly.

"He's a Mercurian. Since they're the toughest and most resilient people I know of, it's extremely unlikely that he is dead," Andros said firmly. After a moment, he continued with, "No, I'm almost completely certain that he's is either a prisoner or he is in hiding which means that I'll need to remember to inform Billy or Tommy to keep an eye out for him when I speak to them next time."

He then sighed.

"Anyway, on to more important matters," he said grimly as he sat down in his seat at the dining table. "Now that we've all had breakfast, it's time for us to get ready for the Galactic Council."

He turned to Zhane and Cassie.

"Zhane, Cassie, I need both of you to head to Karova to make sure that the security around the Council Chambers is good enough to prevent potential spies from overhearing any sensitive information," Andros commanded. "Taikwa and Kinwon will be waiting for you outside of the Council Chambers."

Both of them nodded before they left the room as Andros turned to TJ and Carlos.

"Guys, I need both of you to go examine the Megatank fully," Andros informed them. "I want to know the full extent of the damage to the vehicle so that, when the council finishes, we can start the repairs."

"Right away, Andros," TJ said before he and Carlos left the room.

"What about me?" Ashley asked as he turned to her.

"I need you to take the Silver Cycle and have it refuelled," he informed her. "I'd do it myself but, unfortunately, I've got to go speak to our other allies who have not been informed about the Galactic Council yet."

She sighed before she nodded.

"All right, Andros," she said before she too left the room. A few seconds after she was gone, Andros returned to his computer with a sigh. After a few moments, he started typing in the lines of code required to allow him to contact their allies starting with Dimitria and Alpha 6 on Inquiris.

Several minutes later, as the emergency communications signal was sent out to Inquiris, Andros settled back in his chair to wait for a response.

_KO-35, Andros's home, late morning, some time later_

As the emergency incoming communication alarm went off, Andros rapidly started typing in the required lines of code to set up a communications link between KO-35 and Inquiris.

A few moments after he did this, Alpha 6 appeared on-screen with Dimitria of Inquiris standing behind her loyal robotic assistant.

"Alpha 6, Dimitria, it is good to see that both of you are well," Andros said with a relieved smile. "After everything that happened yesterday, I have to confess that I was rather worried that both of you also had some trouble with some of our newly restored enemies."

Dimitria sighed.

"We did have some trouble here on Inquiris with Divatox," Dimitria admitted. "However, we fortunately managed to deal with it before anyone could be harmed. Unfortunately, though, Divatox and her allies have left Inquiris."

"She may, eventually, come after you and the other Space Rangers for revenge," Alpha 6 warned. "It would be best for you to be on your guard."

"With the return of Dark Specter and his minions along with a number of our other exceptionally dangerous enemies, we're already on full alert over here on KO-35," Andros informed them. "We will, however, keep an eye out for Divatox although, to be honest, I think that it is highly unlikely that she or her minions will show up here on KO-35 any time soon."

Andros then sighed.

"Do you want me to send one of the Power Rangers to guard you, Dimitria, in case Divatox comes back to try to destroy Inquiris again?" Andros asked. "I…"

"No, Red Space Ranger, that will not be necessary," Dimitria said firmly. "If she returns to Inquiris, I will send for your aid. But, for now, it is best that you keep all of your Rangers in one place so that you will be able to defend the galaxy from our enemies effectively."

Andros nodded.

"I'm holding a Galactic Council here this afternoon," Andros informed her. "Are you going to attend?"

"No," Dimitria informed him grimly. "I am needed here, on Inquiris, to deal with a number of important issues today so I am unable to attend this council meeting."

"I can, however, contact Ninjor to inform him of the details about what is going on if you wish," Alpha 6 helpfully chipped in.

"Thanks, Alpha 6, that would be greatly appreciated," Andros replied calmly before he turned to Dimitria, "Dimitria, is there anything that you want me to say to the Rangers on your behalf today?"

"As long as you warn all of those present at the Galactic Council to beware of my sister, Divatox, I cannot really think of anything else that you can say on my behalf," Dimitria informed him. After a moment, she sighed before she continued with, "However, on an entirely unrelated matter, if you manage to get in contact with Tommy or Billy before I do, could you send them my greetings?"

Andros nodded.

"I'll do that, Dimitria," Andros vowed.

"Then, I wish you good luck," Dimitria smiled sadly. "As Billy said in his message, do not hesitate to contact me if you need my advice. And, if I get any visions which may help you in your struggle, I'll be in touch."

Andros nodded.

"I will," Andros assured her. "Until then, Dimitria."

"Until then, Red Space Ranger," she replied before Alpha 6 ended the communication link. Andros sighed as he leaned back in his chair for a moment as the screen went blank.

He was relieved that both Dimitria and Alpha 6 were all right although he was slightly worried about Divatox as she had the potential to become a serious problem in the future especially if she ever decided to join forces with the forces of Dark Specter.

He grimaced at that moment. If _any _of the major villains got together, they would be a considerably dangerous threat to the Power Rangers. Mentally, at that moment, he made a note to himself to inform the other Power Rangers to do everything that they could during the coming months to prevent the villains from allying with each other. Then, with a sigh, he turned his attention back to his computer again.

After a few moments, he decided to try to get in contact with Trey of Triforia next. Grimly, he sent out the emergency communications signal to the Gold Zeo Ranger before he sighed, stood up and slowly left the room.

It would take some time for Trey to respond to his emergency communications signal and, whilst he was waiting for the response, Andros intended to go have some lunch instead of letting the time go to waste.

_KO-35, Andros's home, early afternoon, some time later again_

When the emergency communication alarm went off again, Andros sighed as he quickly finished off the remainder of his lunch before he returned to his computer where he instantly set to work on setting up a communication link between himself and Trey of Triforia.

It took him a few minutes to set up the link but, once he did, he was surprised to notice that the video link on screen was rather fuzzy suggesting that Trey was on a spacecraft travelling at the speed of light somewhere in the galaxy instead of on Triforia as Andros had expected him to be.

Curiously, Andros looked closer at the fuzzy background. It took him a moment or two to notice that, judging by the golden cockpit in the background, Trey was on Pyramidas and he wasn't alone.

Andros was surprised to notice that the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion were with him.

"Andros," Trey greeted. His voice was slightly distorted but, fortunately, Andros could still make out what he was saying otherwise they would have had a serious problem.

"Trey," Andros replied. "Phantom Ranger, Blue Senturion, it is good to see that you are all well. I have to admit, I was rather worried about all three of you after what happened to us."

Trey raised an eyebrow at this but Andros never got a chance to explain what had happened as the Phantom Ranger spoke first.

"We were paid a visit by a horde of Grinders on Triforia," the Phantom Ranger informed Andros grimly.

"And, then, the Machine Empire's main leaders were revived on Triforia's moon and escaped from us on a previously undetected escape vessel," the Blue Senturion added. "We're currently pursuing them in Pyramidas."

Andros, rightfully, was worried by this information. The Machine Empire, if they managed to restore their forces to their former glory, would definitely be capable of conquering the entire galaxy especially whilst Earth's defences were as weak as they were.

Not to mention that, even if they combined their forces, all of the Space Rangers in Space would only be able to stall the Machine Empire's advance towards Earth. Even then, though, they all knew that they would have to get their other enemies out of the way first before they would even be capable of that.

Andros bit his lip at that moment. This definitely was not good.

"Andros," the Phantom Ranger said softly. "Given what Billy said in his message, I think that you've currently got your own problems to deal with right now. Am I right?"

Andros nodded wordlessly in response.

"Then, Trey made the right choice," the Blue Senturion said firmly. When Andros gave him a confused look, the Blue Senturion elaborated with, "It was Trey's idea to pursue the Machine Empire in the first place."

Andros turned to Trey at that moment.

"Really?" Andros queried. Trey nodded before he went on to explain their plan.

"When we catch up to them, we hope to slow their attempts to rebuild their massive army down by sabotaging their operations," Trey said with a grimace. "Hopefully, by doing this, we'll be able to buy Tommy enough time to gather the scattered Power Rangers together on earth."

Andros nodded in agreement at this.

"Not to mention that the more time that we buy for Tommy to act, the more time that the Power Rangers and their allies will have to thin the ranks of our enemies," the Phantom Ranger added quietly. "Which can only be a good thing."

"On that subject, I originally called you to inform you about the Galactic Council that I'm holding on KO-35 this afternoon," Andros said grimly. "I think, though, it is safe for me to assume that you will be unable to make it."

"Unfortunately, we cannot afford to lose the remnants of the Machine Empire," Trey said grimly. "The fate of the universe may well depend upon how well we can keep him occupied."

"And away from the rest of our enemies," the Blue Senturion added.

Andros nodded.

"I understand and, more importantly, wish you good luck with your mission," Andros said quietly. "I have a funny feeling that you're going to need it."

At that moment, the sound of an alarm reached Andros's ears from their side of the communication. Trey grimaced.

"The Machine Empire are picking up speed," he informed Andros grimly. "I'm afraid, in order to ensure we don't lose them, we're going to have to go now."

"We'll keep in touch," the Phantom Ranger promised grimly. "And, rest assured, next time we speak we should have enough time to discuss everything that is happening in the universe in more detail."

"Send our greetings to Tommy and Billy if, and when, you speak to them," the Blue Senturion added.

"I will," Andros vowed. "Until next time."

With that, Andros shut down the communication link. For a few moments afterwards, he leaned back in his chair he was sitting in with his eyes closed.

_It's funny how, in the end, the future of many depends on the actions of a few people who are, normally, Power Rangers. _Andros thought grimly._ Regardless of how well the rest of us do, the future depends heavily upon how long the three of them manage to stall the Machine Empire in the end..._

Andros opened his eyes again at that moment as he grimly started to type in the lines of code required to send out an emergency communication signal to the Rangers on Aquitar who were the last ones he needed to contact about the Galactic Council.

Once the signal was sent, Andros grimly leaned back in his chair. Whilst he waited for a response from Aquitar, his thoughts turned to another time and place long ago when the burden that the trio now bore had been his own...

_KO-35, Andros's home, early afternoon, several minutes later_

When the emergency communication alarm went off for the final time, Andros was startled out of his thoughts. Grimly, he quickly worked to establish a communications link with Aquitar before activating it.

As Delphine appeared on screen, he noticed instantly that she was standing in Billy Cranston's home holding a cloth to what looked like a bad cut on her forehead.

"You've caught me at a bad time, Andros," Delphine said softly.

"What happened to you?" Andros asked grimly as a small drop of blood ran down her cheek. She sighed as she quickly wiped it away.

"I was caught by surprise when a number of Z-Putties ambushed my team an hour or so ago," Delphine said grimly as she winced whilst applying more pressure to her forehead to stem the bleeding. "Don't worry, Red Space Ranger, my wound is not as serious as it looks."

"How are things on Aquitar?" Andros asked grimly.

"Currently, we've only come up against Z-Putties," Delphine said grimly. "They've been relatively easy to dispose of and none, so far, have mutated into massive hideous monsters that we've needed our Zords for."

"You've had it lucky then," Andros said grimly before he launched into a brief explanation of what had happened to everyone else in the universe, "You see..."

_KO-35, Andros's home, early afternoon, several minutes later again_

As soon as Andros had finished his explanation, Delphine grimaced.

"It definitely sounds as if we've been spared the worst of the onslaught so far," she said softly before she added grimly, "Alas, though, we're not going to be able to attend the Galactic Council either since we cannot risk leaving Aquitar especially now that Billy has taken Cestria and left for Earth."

Andros grimaced before he sighed.

"That's all right, Delphine," he assured her. "Your planet has to come first, I suppose."

"However, please inform all of those present at the Galactic Council that we wish them all the best," Delphine said grimly. "And, if you get the chance, please pass on our greetings to Billy and Tommy if you speak to them."

Andros nodded as a small smile spread across his face.

"You know, Delphine, everyone that I've spoken to today has asked me to do that," Andros mused.

"Well, out of everyone out here in Space, you are the one who is most likely to speak to them, Andros," Delphine countered.

"True," Andros mused before he sighed as a warning message informing him that the Lost Galaxy Rangers had arrived on KO-35 appeared on-screen. "Well, it was nice to speak to you again, Delphine but I'm afraid that duty calls. I have a Galactic Council to hold."

"I understand," Delphine replied. "And, don't worry, I'll keep in touch."

With that, she deactivated the communication link before Andros could. Andros, at that moment, grimaced as he got to his feet before he left for the Astro Megaship to head to Karova for the second Galactic Council.

_KO-35, Karova, Square, mid-afternoon, some time later_

As the six Jet Jammers landed in the square outside of the council chambers, Andros stepped forward from the ranks of the Space Rangers to greet them as they disembarked their vehicles.

"Lost Galaxy Rangers," Andros said formally. "Welcome back to KO-35."

The five Lost Galaxy Rangers, and the Magna Defender, smiled.

"It's good to be back, Andros," Leo said softly whilst the others simply nodded in agreement with his words before all of the Rangers made their way silently into the nearby Council Chambers.

_KO-35, Karova, Council Chambers, mid-afternoon, several minutes later_

Inside the Council Chambers, the Rangers quickly took their seats with Andros sitting at the head of the round table. Although there was no seating arrangement, the Space Rangers ended up on the right hand side of the table with the Lost Galaxy Rangers on the left. Mike, in the end, ended up at the end of the table since he was the last to enter the room.

As soon as everyone was settled, Andros cleared his throat to get their attention.

"All right, I know that all of you know why I've called this Galactic Council so I won't bother going into detail about that," Andros said grimly. "However, I know that you're probably wondering why we're meeting here and not in the Megaship like last time. Well..."

"To put it bluntly, the people that we've sworn to protect need to see that we're coming up with a united response to the crisis that we face," Zhane interrupted. "Otherwise, it'll be easy for our enemies to turn them against us."

"That scenario, of course, is every Power Rangers' worse nightmare," Andros smoothly continued at that moment, giving Zhane a grateful look as he did so, before he sighed. "And, given the fact that we're hopelessly outnumbered, a dangerous situation that we must do everything that we can to avoid _at all costs._"

Andros stressed the last part of his words as murmurs of agreement came from the other Power Rangers in the room.

"Now, before we get down to business, I have some news to share with all of you from our absent allies," Andros continued. "Firstly, Dimitria of Inquiris, who is unable to be with us today, informed me earlier that Divatox attempted to destroy Inquiris yesterday. She, of course, failed otherwise I wouldn't be telling you this right now but..."

"Let me guess, Divatox and her minions escaped the planet," Mike interrupted at that moment.

Andros nodded.

"I'm afraid so," Andros said grimly. "Hence, we'll need to keep an eye out for her and her forces. She is more likely to come after us, the Space Rangers that is, than you but, with Divatox, it's best to never to assume anything."

"Secondly, Delphine and her Rangers on Aquitar appear to have been spared the worse of the onslaught so far," Andros continued. "They've only had Z-Putties to deal with so far suggesting that the villains out here are far more interested in dealing with us than disposing of them."

"However, we'll need to keep a close eye upon the situation there just in case," Carlos chipped in grimly. "Delphine, along with her friends, may have the situation under control for now but, as we know only too well, situations involving Lord Zedd can often become dangerous very quickly. Right now, it seems that Zedd is not taking an active interest in what is going on upon Aquitar if he's only sending Z-Putties but, if he ever does, we'll have a serious problem."

"Something tells me, though, that Zedd will be far more interested in trying to conquer Earth right now than anything else," Cassie said softly.

"His hatred of the Original Rangers is legendary so you're probably right," TJ said in agreement at that moment. "If he isn't already, he will be focusing most, if not all, of his time trying to defeat the Power Rangers defending Earth so I don't think we're going to face much trouble from him."

"From what I know of Zedd, I have to agree with you," Leo said grimly. "Though, we should keep an eye on him as well just in case."

Andros nodded at that moment.

"I agree," Andros said grimly. "Though, I am not as worried about Zedd right now as I am about the remnants of the House of Gadgetry of the Machine Empire."

Several faces paled at the mention of the most feared, and exceptionally powerful, Machine Empire that had taken everything that the Zeo Rangers had to defeat.

"Finally, Trey of Triforia, the Blue Senturion and the Phantom Ranger are currently pursuing them in the hopes of sabotaging their operations as much as possible which is why they're not here," Andros continued. "All of you know, though, that the three of them, at best, are only going to be able to slow them down for a while. Inevitably, the Machine Empire is going to rise again."

"And, if it isn't the first planet that they attempt to conquer, they will inevitably attempt to conquer Earth at some point," Andros said in a warning tone. "When that time comes, the Power Rangers on Earth will need to be ready to face them."

"Hence, our main priority is to keep all the villains out here in Space as far away from Earth as possible so that Tommy has enough time to gather together Earth's defenders," Andros continued. "At the same time, we also have to try as hard as we possibly can to thin their ranks so to speak to make our job of defending the universe slightly less difficult. After all, we're going to be facing Divatox, Scorpius and Trakeena, Dark Specter _and_ Captain Mutiny."

TJ, at that moment, took on a grim expression. Before Maya or Kendrix could protest at this, he interrupted.

"Andros is right," TJ said firmly. "If we are to have any hope of surviving to the end of this war, we _need _to even the odds as quickly as possible before they get a chance to build up their armies completely. Dark Specter and his forces, obviously, are our biggest concern as they're a severe threat to the entire universe _especially _whilst Astronema is around. I am under no illusions that we're not going to be able to get rid of him but, at the very least, we need to take out some of his key followers such as Ecliptor, Darkonda and Astronema."

"Darkonda betrayed Dark Specter so, if we're lucky, Dark Specter will deal with him for us," Carlos said at that moment.

"If we're not, I reckon that we should try to get rid of him as quickly as possible," Zhane said grimly. "He may try to form his own side which would be disastrous for us."

Andros nodded.

"He's a weak link," Andros agreed. "Although we won't damage Dark Specter's forces by getting rid of him, I agree that we should attempt to do so as soon as we possibly can if Dark Specter doesn't get rid of him first."

"Moving on," TJ declared at that moment. "We have Divatox and her forces. On their own, they're a dangerous threat although, if they team up with anyone, they'll only be a mild threat as they'll be reduced from leaders of their own side to minions of the villain that they team up with significantly reducing their capability to do serious harm."

"Elgar is the weak link amongst her forces," Ashley said quietly. "His lack of cleverness can easily be exploited. Although given how often Divatox complained about him, I doubt that his loss will be a severe blow to her."

"With the exception of General Havoc, her other minions aren't that much better than Elgar," Cassie added scathingly at that moment. "Although, despite this fact, they must not be underestimated under any circumstances. They're still dangerous despite their faults."

"Just not as dangerous as some of the minions of the other villains that we need to face," Leo said grimly. "Like Captain Mutiny's henchmen for example."

TJ nodded.

"I believe that, unlike Scorpius and Trakeena who I rate as a dangerous threat, Captain Mutiny and his henchmen are an exceptionally dangerous threat," TJ continued. "Even if we work together, there is a chance that he may simply be far too strong for us to defeat."

"He's not a severe threat, like Dark Specter is, because the chance that we can defeat him still exists," TJ continued. "I believe, however, that only when we're working together to take Captain Mutiny and his forces on will we have the best chance of defeating them."

Mike, at that moment, was about to say something when his mouth firmly clamped shut as the five Lost Galaxy Rangers unanimously glared at him.

"Mike, remember what you promised," Kai said warningly.

"You'll leave Captain Mutiny to us, regardless of the unfinished business that you have with him, for your own sake," Damon added in firmly. "You are no match for him without your powers."

"Not to mention that we do not want to lose you either," Maya added.

_Like we nearly lost you the last time you and Mutiny crossed paths... _Leo thought grimly.

"They're right, Mike," Andros said softly at that moment. "Not only do we not want to lose you, we can't _afford _to lose you either given how heavily the odds are stacked against us at the moment. Were we to do so, I do not doubt that it would be disastrous even without your powers as the Magna Defender."

Mike, wordlessly, nodded at this.

"I think that it would be a good idea if we moved on to discussing our tactics now," Zhane said grimly at that moment. "If you don't mind, that is."

There were murmurs of agreement at this as no one, not even Mike, wanted the topic of Mike and Captain Mutiny to be discussed in any further detail. Hushed whispers broke out at the table at that moment between a number of individuals. Eventually, after several minutes, Leo spoke up.

"I think that the sensible tactic would be to decide our strategy depending on the situation," Leo declared. "If its a minor situation on a planet, I'm pretty certain that both our teams would be easily capable of handling the situation by ourselves."

"If it is not, however, a minor situation then it would probably be best to work together," Mike continued. "We're more likely to be able to successfully deal with those sort of situations if we're working together although, of course, there is a danger that our enemies will exploit this once they realise what we're doing."

"That's only if they work together, of course, which is rather unlikely at these early stages of the war," Leo reminded everyone at the table.

"Wouldn't it not be better if we just work together to deal with all the situations that arise?" TJ suggested at that moment.

"Absolutely not!" Leo exclaimed firmly. "That's a rotten idea."

"I'll have you know..." Carlos said angrily as an argument between all of the male Power Rangers erupted with Andros desperately trying to restore order to the meeting.

From their positions at the table, the female Power Rangers started whispering between each other, unnoticed by the others, as the argument going on around them grew even more heated.

_KO-35, Karova, Council Chambers, late afternoon, some time later_

"We're agreed?" Ashley said softly. The other female Rangers nodded before Ashley gestured to Cassie who got to her feet at that moment.

"All right, gentlemen, that's enough!" she exclaimed furiously. Immediately, the arguments stopped as everyone's attention became focused upon her. Cassie smiled viciously. "Now, unless you want to listen to me screeching at your stupidity for an hour or so, I ask that all of you listen to Ashley who has something that she would like to say."

The male Power Rangers flinched at this as Cassie sat down again. Ashley sighed.

"Whilst all of you were arguing, and Andros was desperately trying to restore some order to this council, the rest of us were discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both suggestions that were put forward," Ashley said. "Unanimously, we agreed that the suggestion put forward by Leo and Mike was the better one of the two plans."

"Think about it," Kendrix added in at that moment. "It is unlikely that we are going to be able to work together most of the time due to the fact that we're going to probably be dealing with situations on our own planets at the same time as each other."

"However, for the sake of fairness, I believe that it is best that we put it to a vote," Ashley continued. "All in favour of adopting the suggestion that Leo and Mike put forward, please raise your hand?"

Most hands went up at this. Seeing that they were outnumbered, those that hadn't originally put their hand up eventually put their hands up to support the proposal.

"It's decided then," Andros declared. "We'll only team up in major situations dealing with the minor ones by ourselves."

Andros sighed at that moment.

"Right, now that we've got the planning over with, I only have one more issue to deal with today before I declare this council over," Andros continued. "This evening, I intend to try to get in touch with Billy on Earth. Through him, I hope to try to pass on several messages to Tommy so, if any of you have any messages that you want me to pass on to Tommy, I'd appreciate it if you give me them now."

Whispers broke out at that moment. Patiently, Andros waited until everyone had conferred before he let Leo speak.

"On behalf of the Lost Galaxy Rangers, wish them both luck," Leo said grimly. "As we don't know them very well, we have nothing else we want to say to them."

"Andros, as you know, we were the Turbo Rangers before we became the Space Rangers," Cassie said grimly. "The four of us are extremely worried about our friend, and fellow Ranger, Justin. When you get in touch with those on Earth, tell them that we want them to find Justin and send him out to KO-35 as soon as they do because we feel that it is best if he joins us out here in Space."

Seeing the look of concern in the eyes of his team mates, Andros nodded.

"I will," Andros promised. "And, personally, I agree with you."

He rose at that moment with a weary sigh.

"All right, if no one else has anything else they want me to pass on to Tommy, the Second Galactic Council is now over," Andros declared. "Just in time for dinner too. After having been forced to skip lunch for this meeting, I'm starving so I'm glad that I'm not going to have to miss another meal today."

Several of those in the council chamber snickered at this as they too stood before they left the room.

_KO-35, Karova, Square, late afternoon, several minutes later_

As the Lost Galaxy Rangers and Mike got onto their Jet Jammers, Andros stepped forth from the ranks of the Space Rangers again.

"I'll contact you in the morning again," Andros informed them. "Stay safe."

"You too," Leo responded before the six Jet Jammers set off for Mirinoi. Andros watched them disappear into the distance for a moment before he turned to his fellow Rangers.

"Let's go," he declared. "Dinner, tonight, will be at my place as there are a couple of things that I want to discuss with all of you that I never mentioned at the Galactic Council."

They nodded and, wordlessly, followed him as they left the square to head back to the Megaship.

_KO-35, Andros's home, early evening, some time later_

As they tucked in to the wonderful dinner that Ashley had made all of them that night, all eyes were upon Andros who immediately got down to business.

"I want to talk about the Silver Cycle and Megatank first," Andros informed them. "However, I do have something else that I want to say as well."

"There's not much to say about the Silver Cycle, Andros, other than I had it refuelled and returned to the Megaship as you requested," Ashley said at that moment.

"There is tons to say about the Megatank, though," TJ said with a grimace. "Frankly, it's worse than we thought. The vehicle is an absolute wreck."

"The exterior is completely rusted," Carlos reported. "And, as for the interior, well..."

"The engine has a rather large hole in it, the brakes are shot and several other parts are mangled," TJ continued. "To be entirely honest, I personally think that it is not worth even attempting to repair it. Even though it would take us longer, it would probably be better if we built another Megatank completely from scratch."

"However, if we're not going to build a Megatank from scratch, we could strip the Megatank back down to its chassis, salvaging any parts that we can in the process, then rebuild it using replacement parts," Carlos said grimly. "The chassis isn't, surprisingly, rusted like the rest of the exterior of the Megatank hence it might be worth our while to salvage it."

Andros frowned at this news as he swallowed a bite of his meal that he had just taken moments before.

"In the end, we would probably save quite a lot of money if you did strip it down then rebuild it," TJ continued. "However, it would require a lot more effort on our part to strip it down, replace the ruined parts and then rebuild it than it would if we simply were to build a new one."

"I think that, for now anyway, stripping it down, replacing the ruined parts and then rebuilding it would probably be the better option," Andros declared. "Given the current dangerous climate, we need the Megatank to be operational as quickly as possible."

"I agree with Andros on this," Zhane said grimly. "We're truly going to need the Megatank to be operational as quickly as possible."

"Anyway, now that both of those issues are out of the way, I want to talk about the Machine Empire," Andros said grimly causing several individuals at the table to take on pale faces. "Just after the Galactic Council finished, I realised that the Blue Senturion only mentioned that he, the Phantom Ranger and Trey of Triforia were only pursuing the main leaders of the Machine Empire."

A look of comprehension spread across Zhane's face at that moment.

"You reckon that Prince Gasket and Archerina are _not _with the rest of the Machine Empire," Zhane guessed.

"I do," Andros responded. "And, if I'm right, there's a reasonable chance that they're in our section of the galaxy if they're not on Earth which means that we're going to have to keep an eye out for both of them. They may try to build their own Machine Empire in this section of the galaxy which, if they do, we'll need to put a stop to as soon as possible."

Andros sighed at that moment as he finished the last of his meal before standing with a reluctant sigh.

"In the morning, when I talk to the Lost Galaxy Rangers, I'll tell them what I just told you," Andros continued. "However, for now, I'm going to head over to the Astro Megaship so that I can start the process off to get in touch with our friends on Earth. I expect to see all of you at breakfast here tomorrow."

With that, Andros promptly left the room with a grim expression upon his face.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, mid-evening, some time later_

As soon as the emergency communications signal had been sent out, Andros leaned on the console that he had been working at as he sighed wearily.

"Well, I guess all I can do now is wait for a response," he said grimly.

"Whilst you are waiting, perhaps you could update the data logs, Andros?" D.E.C.A. suggested at that moment as Andros looked up towards the central screen. "If I am to be able to advise you, I need to be aware of current events which, at the moment, I am not aware of because of the fact that you have neglected to update the logs for some time now."

Andros sighed at that moment.

"Out of curiosity, D.E.C.A., when was the last time that I updated the data logs?" Andros queried.

"You last updated approximately a month ago when the Megaship nearly crash landed on Mirinoi," D.E.C.A. responded. "At the time, according to my records, you stated that you were working on a new version of my program but, to protect the other Space Rangers, you asked me to keep quite about the upgrade until after it was complete."

Andros frowned at this. A lot of important things had happened over the last month, including this whole mess with the resurrected evils, that definitely required an entry in the Astro Megaship's data logs which, obviously, he had forgotten to see to as he had been too busy dealing with other issues. He sighed at that moment.

The Red Space Ranger did not particularly enjoy the task of updating the data logs. However, if it wasn't done as soon as possible, it would definitely come back to haunt him later. He sighed.

_May as well get it over with. _Andros thought grimly.

"All right, D.E.C.A., I'm going to give you a brief overview of all the important events that have happened since then," Andros said grimly. "Whilst I am doing this, could you record the information into the Megaship's data logs please?"

D.E.C.A. sighed.

"Of course, Andros," D.E.C.A. replied.

"Well, I suppose I had best begin with what happened the day after that..." Andros said grimly as he launched into a full explanation of the last month for the computer's benefit.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, late evening, some time later again_

"... and that, D.E.C.A., is everything that I want to record in the data logs for now," Andros was saying just as Ashley entered. "Off the record, though, I..."

"Andros, we are not alone," D.E.C.A. warned. In response to this, Andros instantly fell silent as he turned with a grim expression to Ashley.

"Oh, Ashley, I..." Andros began.

"Was just updating the data logs?" Ashley guessed. "I am curious, though, about what you were just about to say off the record."

Andros took on a sorrowful look at that moment.

"Honestly, Ashley, you don't want to know," Andros confessed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I just came to inform you that everyone else has gone home to get some rest," Ashley replied. "You should be coming home as well, you know, for you're not going to be able to fight the forces of evil without some sleep."

Andros, at that moment, grimaced.

"I'm afraid that I can't," he confessed. "I have to remain here until I receive a reply from Earth."

"But..." Ashley began.

"I'm sorry," Andros apologised. "I can't."

She sighed at that moment as she came over, hugged him tightly and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, then, Andros," she said simply as she pulled away from him. "Just promise me that, as soon as you can, you'll come home."

"I will," Andros promised. "Goodnight, Ashley."

She left at that moment as Andros turned with a sigh back to D...

"D.E.C.A., as soon as you receive a response, I want you to call me," Andros commanded as he made his way to leave the cockpit.

"Where are you going?" D.E.C.A. asked curiously.

"Since I can't leave the Astro Megaship right now, I'm going to make good use of my time by starting work on the Megatank whilst I wait for a response from Earth," Andros responded. "I'll be down in Storage Bay 2."

With that, Andros left the cockpit without another word.


	20. Chapter 9: News From Earth

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Chapter 9: News From Earth

by Lauraac2110

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, Storage Bay 2, the next day, very early in the morning, some time later_

With a cry of triumph, Andros stumbled back with the large rusted, bent panel in his hands that he had been working hard to remove from the Megatank. Parts of the panel had been so heavily damaged that they had fused with the chassis of the Megatank which meant that he had been forced to spend hours carefully using the most precise laser he had on the Megatank to separate the panel from the chassis so that he would be able to salvage the chassis later.

A part of him wished that he had just gone for the easier option, of building a new Megatank from scratch, because of the painstaking work that he was inevitably going to have to put in over the next few months to restore the Megatank. Andros, however, shoved that part of him to one side as he grimly reminded himself that it the months of time that this harder option would save were, in this war, worth the great deal of effort that was going to be required even if the work, at times, was painstaking.

At that moment, he was shaken from his thoughts by the emergency communications alarm which instantly caused him to drop the panel just as D.E.C.A. contacted him.

"Andros, Billy has responded to your emergency communications signal," D.E.C.A. informed him over the intercom. "I must warn you, though, that you have a few minutes to get up to the cockpit as he is already remotely setting up the video link to the Megaship from his end."

Andros cursed at that moment.

"I'm on my way, D.E.C.A.," Andros declared as he kicked the panel out of the way before he sprinted out of Storage Bay 2.

_KO-35, Astro Megaship, very early in the morning, several minutes later_

As Andros skidded into the cockpit, he was rather out of breath.

"D.E.C.A., how long until the video link goes live?" Andros demanded as he got into position.

"Thirty seconds remaining," D.E.C.A. responded.

Andros quickly straightened his uniform which had become rather rumpled during his dramatic dash to get to the cockpit as quickly as possible to avoid an embarrassment.

"Twenty seconds remaining," D.E.C.A. warned.

Andros, at that moment, worked to regulate his breathing so that he would be able to avoid being asked about why he was so out of breath which would, inevitably, lead to an embarrassment that he wanted to avoid.

"Ten seconds remaining," D.E.C.A. warned as Andros managed to get his breathing under control. "Five seconds remaining."

_Here we go... _Andros thought grimly at that moment as the video link went live on the main screen.

Instinctively, at that moment, Andros glanced at all the faces that were on the other end of the link. He instantly recognised Billy and, of course, Tommy who looking rather good for a man thought widely to be dead by the majority of the galaxy. Heck, if weren't for the communication that Billy had sent only a few days ago before he had left for Earth, even _he _would have believed that the man was dead given the situation on Earth.

Andros didn't recognise the man standing next to Tommy, so he instantly assumed that he must have been part of one of the few Power Rangers teams that he hadn't yet crossed paths with, although Andros could instantly tell that the man was definitely an important individual that he would probably be dealing a lot with from now on by the very fact that he was being allowed to be witness the conversation that was about to occur.

Moving on, Andros spotted Alpha by the console and, instantly, inwardly frowned. Wasn't Alpha 6 supposed to be with Dimitria? What was the robot doing there with Billy and Tommy? This, of course, was a question that he was definitely going to ask at some point during the conversation.

As his eyes settled on the last individual in the room, Andros instantly froze.

_No, it can't be... _Andros thought in shock. _He's dead. I killed him._

Blinking, Andros saw that it was indeed Zordon of Eltar, the legendary sage, that was standing in the room with them. There was no other individual with such a distinctive, timeless, face.

"Zordon... but I thought..." he whispered at that that moment. Andros found that he was unable to finish that sentence as a wave of guilt washed over him.

Zordon, in response, simply smiled at him. "Andros, as you can see, I am back now."

"But I..." Andros began.

"Andros, it is all in the past," Zordon assured him. "You did the right thing to save the entire universe from evil."

Out of the corner of his eye, Andros could see the confused expression that swept over the face of the one man that he did not recognise. Watching as Tommy leaned in to whisper something to him, which Andros presumed to be an explanation, Andros took a few moments to recover before turning to Alpha.

"Alpha, I thought that you were with Dimitria?" he asked.

"I'm not Alpha 6, Andros, but I can see why that mistook me for my successor. I'm Alpha 5, Zordon's loyal aide, and it's an honour to make your acquaintance," Alpha 5 replied.

Inwardly, at that moment, Andros wanted to slap himself for being so stupid.

_How could I have forgotten about Alpha 5? _Andros thought. _I really, really, must be tired right now._

Sensing amusement in Alpha 5's voice, Andros's eyes narrowed a little.

_What's worse, Alpha 5 appears to be laughing at me. Although, to be fair, I suppose I deserve it. _Andros noted at that moment as he silently groaned. _The others are never going to let me live this down when they find out._

Noting again that Tommy was having a quiet conversation with the man next to him, Andros waited until they were finished before he immediately apologised for his mistake.

"Forgive me for mistaking you for your successor, Alpha 5, but you're both quite similar," Andros apologised to Alpha as he turned to Tommy. "For a man who was widely thought to be dead, you look rather well Tommy."

"Fate has been rather kind to me, Andros. You look rather well yourself," Tommy replied politely.

"Forgive me but I don't recognise your friend," Andros said politely seeing a chance to discover the identity of the man next to him.

"This is RJ, Andros," Tommy said quickly in introduction. "Wolf Ranger of the Jungle Fury Rangers."

"It's an honour to meet you at last, Andros," RJ said quickly. Andros noted that the man had obviously picked up on the courtesies of diplomacy rather quickly over the course of the conversation along with whatever information that Tommy had been feeding him during their whispered conversations and was, silently, impressed by this.

"The honour is mine," Andros replied before he paused for a moment then continued with, "I've received news from the Rangers on other worlds, Zordon, which was why I was attempting to contact you. The Alien Rangers on Aquitar are fending off Z-Putties almost every other day but, fortunately, they've been spared the worst of the onslaught so far. Trey of Triforia has teamed up with the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion to keep King Mondo and the Machine Empire from recruiting an army. They're disrupting all of the Machine Empire's activities and will continue to do so until it comes to a point that they can't keep the Machine Empire away from this galaxy. Along with Dimitria of Inquiris, all of them send you greetings, Tommy, and wish you luck because they know that your task in this whole affair is the most difficult."

_It's also a job that I am certainly glad that I was never given. _Andros thought grimly. _I'm certain that, if I were in your position Tommy, I'd never have a chance of building an adequate defence to protect the planet in time._

Tommy smiled. "Tell Trey, the Phantom Ranger and the Blue Senturion that I wish them a great deal of luck. They've got to keep Mondo and his goons away from Earth for as long as possible. When Mondo finally reaches Earth, we'll have to be ready for the last stand as he'll bring a vast army with him in his attempt to take over the planet."

Andros nodded. "I know, Tommy. If Mondo is ready before we are, Earth will fall and so will the rest of the universe."

"We'll be ready, Andros," Billy assured. "Tommy and I are beginning to bring all of the Power Rangers together. Many, though, have been lost during the Venjix invasion so it's going to take us a while to find them all. I'm confident that we can do it, though."

"And I am confident that they will succeed too," Zordon assured. "What other news do you have for us?"

"I checked with the Mercurians, Billy. Tyzonn and Vella didn't return to Mercuria as we hoped that they had which means that they must still be on Earth somewhere," Andros informed them. "As for me, I'm working with the other Space Rangers and the Lost Galaxy Rangers to defend KO-35 and Mirinoi from Dark Specter, Divatox, Captain Mutiny and Scorpius and his daughter Trakeena. We know that we're fighting a losing battle, as we're vastly outnumbered, but our main aim is just to keep all the villains away from Earth for as long as possible. What's making the whole situation all the more difficult, though, is the fact that... Karone has brainwashed into Astronema again."

Andros instantly noted that there was a strong hint of despair in his voice when he stated this fact, probably because the grief of losing his sister was still truly fresh, which he noted got looks of sympathy from most of those who knew of his plight. RJ, obviously, was the only one who did not as he looked to Tommy for an explanation which he quickly gave.

"That is sad news, Andros," Zordon sighed. "No matter what the risks are, I vow to you that we will do everything we can to help you get her back from Dark Specter again."

"So do I," Tommy added. "It won't be easy, though."

"Thanks. You both know how much Karone means to me," Andros replied with a sad smile. He felt a little better that both of them were willing to help him any way that they could even though they were both going to be busy dealing with the situation on Earth for a while. His sister meant the world to him and anything help that he could get to restore her to normal was greatly appreciated.

There were several moments of silence, probably to give Andros time to compose himself, before Zordon decided to promptly change the topic.

"Andros, you must involve Ninjor in the off-world defence. Send one of the Rangers to him by using the power which I sealed into the Quasar Sabers long ago. I will let them know that your Ranger is coming. Just warn whoever you send that the journey to Ninjor will be a test of their skills as their morphers will be rendered useless," Zordon urged.

_What power? _Andros wondered at that moment before he noted the twinkle in Zordon's eyes. _Ok, judging by that infuriating twinkle in Zordon's eyes, I guess that working out the answer is going to be a test of our intelligence just as much as the journey to Ninjor will be a test of skill for whoever I send. Though, going by what Zordon said, I reckon that it should not be too hard for us to work the answer out._

"And warn them not to anger Ninjor either. He has quite a nasty temper," Tommy and Billy added quite quickly.

_That's certainly true. _Andros noted silently. _Ninjor's temper is, after all, almost as legendary as Zordon out here in Space. Though I guess that, if they're warning me about it, they don't think that the legends do his temper justice. I'll need to remember to warn whoever I send that they had better tread carefully around Ninjor._

_Speaking of who I'm going to send, I suppose that the only person that I can really afford to send is Mike. With all the evil beings that we're facing out here in Space, I can't afford to send any of the Space or Lost Galaxy Power Rangers to the Temple of Power. _Andros thought grimly as he nodded at that moment.

"I will. It's very likely that I'll be sending Mike Corbett to Ninjor because he's the only one out of all us who I can spare. He lost his powers as the Magna Defender long ago and he has hated the fact that he's missing out on all of the action because he isn't a Ranger any more. This might be a way of making him useful again," he replied.

Zordon smiled. "It's likely that the Magna Defender will be rewarded, if he survives through the trial, with the return of his power. Ninjor is rather generous but don't tell the Magna Defender that."

_I honestly hope that, if Mike does agree to take on this task, he does get his powers back. _Andros thought grimly. _We're going to need every resource available to us if we're going to have any hope of defending Space as best as we can._

"Before you go, Andros, how are the others?" Tommy asked.

_By the looks of things, Tommy, you haven't changed a bit. You always did put the welfare of everyone else above your own. _Andros thought as he smiled.

"We were all fortunate that we were on KO-35 at the time of the Venjix invasion, and the Lost Galaxy Rangers were lucky to be on Mirinoi, otherwise the universe would be facing certain destruction at the hands of Dark Specter right now. You can tell all who ask about us that we're fine Tommy," he replied. "Anyway, before I go, I've got a message from my team-mates for you, Tommy. They want you to find Justin and, when you find him, bring him out to KO-35. Ashley and Cassie are especially worried about him."

"I'll find him, Andros, as quickly as I can. We've got a few problems over here that need sorting but, once I've sorted them, I promise that I'll make finding him a top priority. And I'll personally bring him out to KO-35 myself," Tommy assured. "I'm as worried about him, and everyone else, as they are."

Andros nodded. "Thanks, Tommy. Well, I had better go now but I'll contact you straight away as soon as anything changes out here in space. "

"We'll keep you informed if anything significant happens on our end as well," Billy vowed. "And, when we find Justin, I'll make sure that Tommy keeps his promise."

"Bye," Andros said as he shut down the communication link.

As soon as the communication link shut down, Andros leaned heavily upon the console that he had been standing against whilst a torrent of emotions swept through him.

The strongest, of course, was the joy he was experiencing at seeing that Zordon was alive again. However, he was also feeling relieved at seeing that Tommy was truly alive not to mention slightly embarrassed about his mistake as well.

"Andros, are you all right?" D.E.C.A. queried.

"I'm fine, D.E.C.A.," Andros assured her as he yawned with a bright smile on his face. "Just tired, that's all."

"To save you the trouble, I will update the data logs with the information that has come to light tonight," D.E.C.A. informed him.

"Then, I suppose I had better return home," Andros declared. "I did promise Ashley that I'd come home as soon as I could. Goodnight, D.E.C.A.."

"Goodnight, Andros," D.E.C.A. responded as Andros moved to leave the cockpit. "Sleep well."

Andros turned and nodded before he disappeared down the corridor with the bright smile on his face only getting brighter as he went.

_KO-35, Andros's home, early morning, some time later_

As Andros entered the bedroom, kicking off his shoes as he did so, he accidentally woke up Ashley by being a little too loud.

"Andros..." she said sleepily. "Is that you?"

"It's me," Andros assured her as she opened her eyes. "I've just finished speaking to Billy. You'll never believe it, Ashley, but Z..."

"Whatever you're trying to tell me can wait until later on," Ashley interrupted as he yawned at that moment. "Right now, Andros, you need to get some rest. You look dead on your feet."

"But..." Andros began.

"No buts," Ashley said firmly. "You need some rest. You can tell me, along with everyone else, at breakfast in a few hours."

Andros sighed at that moment as he changed out of his uniform into a pair of pyjamas before climbing into the bed beside Ashley who closed her eyes again. He knew only too well that there was no point in arguing with her, as she was indeed right about the fact that he desperately needed some rest, so he decided to give up trying to protest there and then.

_Besides... _he thought at that moment as he closed his eyes. _Her reaction to the news that Zordon is alive will be so much better at breakfast when she is fully awake like the others and the best bit is, if she tries to accuse me of not telling her first, I'll be able to point out her own words._

The bright smile on his face widened at that this thought as he put an arm around Ashley.

_Oh I can't wait until breakfast. _He silently declared just before he fell asleep.


	21. Dimitria's Dreams Part 1: Of Tricksters

Galactic Odyssey

Part of the Power Rangers: Worlds, Times and Distances Apart Universe

A Power Rangers Fanfiction

Dimitria's Dreams Part 1: Of Tricksters

by Lauraac2110

_Inquiris, early evening_

"Dimitria, you must rest," Alpha 6 said firmly as she led Dimitria to the bed at the back of the room. "You quite clearly exhausted yourself yesterday when you went to deal with those warring tribesmen that were disrupting the peace in two of the villages on the planet on top of dealing with those space pirates that had taken residence in the mountains."

"Alpha 6, I..." Dimitria began.

"No, Dimitria, you're not fine," Alpha 6 interrupted firmly as she helped Dimitria to lie down on the bed. "And, for once, don't try to deny it. I'm not stupid."

"I never said that you were," Dimitria responded. "Regardless, though, I'm..."

At that moment, she instantly stiffened up without warning and Alpha instantly took on an alarmed look.

"Dimitria! Dimitria!" the robotic assistant exclaimed in alarm. "Are you..."

However, Dimitria couldn't hear her and didn't reply. Alpha 6, after running a few checks, realised that Dimitria had fallen into another trance. Alpha 6 sighed.

_Oh, Dimitria, not again... _she thought as she looked upon her mistress.

_Dreamworld, White Zone_

_As I look around at the vast white expanse around me, I sigh._

_Since I had woken up from the coma that I had been in for over two years, I have not had a single vision about anything._

_Until now._

_Dreamworld, Corinth City, Corinth City Hall_

_As the white zone fades around me, I find myself standing in a large hall somewhere behind a podium at the front._

_Looking around, I noticed that there are a large group of people in front of the podium waving blurry placards whilst chanting slogans that I find myself unable to hear. When I try to concentrate in an attempt to make them become clear, I find that it doesn't make any difference as they still remain unknown to me._

_It is almost as if I am not ready to see or hear the reason behind what these people are doing here yet._

_Sighing, I turn my attention to the podium at that moment as four individuals, three males and one female, come onto the platform. Seconds later, another individual follows after them. Unlike the first four who stand in a row at the back of the platform, this individual makes his way to the pedestal. He is then given an envelope before he starts to make a speech at that moment which, again, I could not hear._

_Despite not being able to hear the speech, my eyes light up in recognition at that moment. This is obviously an election of some sorts although, for what, I have absolutely no idea. However, I notice a sign proclaiming that this hall is the Corinth City Hall above the door at the back of the hall._

_A frown spreads across my features at that moment._

Corinth City? Now why does that sound familiar to me? _I wonder. I have no time to ponder this, though, as the individual at the podium finishes his speech, causing a round of applause to erupt, just as the female candidate takes to the pedestal._

_She is obviously the one who was elected, and seems important somehow, so I pay very close attention to her. Although I can't hear what she is saying, it does not mean that I shouldn't learn all that I can about her._

_She appears to be a young woman and is wearing a bright purple suit with silver glasses. She obviously knows how to please crowds as, whatever she did say, seems to have gone down well with everyone there as cheers erupt._

_Ignoring them, I focus solely upon this woman as she leaves the stage. Just as she heads to her office, her appearance momentarily flickers._

_Instead of the young woman that I had seen before, I briefly spot a ninja, carrying a thin curved sword and wearing purple, red and pink scaled armour over the top of a black ninja uniform. My eyebrows instantly raise at this._

She is definitely not who she seems. _I think just as there is a brilliant flash of white light._

_Dreamworld, White Zone_

_As I find myself back in the vast expanse of white, a puzzled expression crosses my features._

_Whoever that woman was, she is definitely up to something if she was concealing her true appearance. _

_Though, exactly what she is up to, and why, I have absolutely no idea although I reckon that I will soon find out._

_Dreamworld, Corinth City_

_As the white zone fades around me, I find myself standing outside of a building that I have to assume is the Corinth City Hall. There are a large group of reporters standing in front of a podium upon which the woman from earlier stands._

_She is obviously about to make a speech to the press hence I immediately move closer to her in the hopes that I can hear what she is saying this time._

"_... For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mira Tricks," the woman begins politely as I manage to get to the front of the crowd of reporters. _

Mira Tricks. _I think grimly as my eyes narrow at that moment. _An adequate name for a trickster who is concealing her true appearance. Just what are you up to?

"_Miss Tricks, what have the Power Rangers done to alienate all of you so badly?" one reporter calls at that moment. I pale as soon as I hear this._

No, please don't tell me that... _I think._

_My worst fears are confirmed a moment later when Mira Tricks speaks._

"_They bring evil to Corinth. Without the Power Rangers here, Corinth would be a much safer place," she replies simply. "Besides, they don't seem to be able to defend us from evil anyway. Look at what happened with that monster Croonia earlier, for example, when they barely managed to defeat her. What happens if an even stronger monster comes and they can't defend us? What then?"_

_She pauses for a moment. "We'll be destroyed, that's what."_

I can't believe that the people would freely turn against the Power Rangers, their protectors, after everything that the Power Rangers have done for them. _I think in horror. _What's worse, it seems that Mira Tricks is trying to encourage as many people as possible to do so in an attempt to further whatever plan she has. This is not good.

"_Miss Tricks. The Power Rangers still do a good job of protecting us. Surely..." another begins._

"_Besides the RPM Power Rangers, have you ever seen any of the other new Rangers close up?" she interrupts quickly so that she can shift the media's focus towards her next argument. I frown at this._

Clever. _I concede at that moment. _By keeping the focus solely on the Power Ranger's faults, even the most loyal supporters of the Power Rangers will doubt them. Though, I have to wonder where she is going with this.

"_No but..." another reporter answers at that moment._

"_It's because they've got something to hide. These new Rangers, for all we know, could be criminals or murderers whom the Power Rangers are sheltering from justice. If they had any good intentions, surely they would be showing their faces to the world?" Mira Tricks continues swiftly._

_I take on an incredulous look at that moment especially as I see the reaction that this statement gets from the protesters at her back who start to cheer at her statement._

Don't they realise that the biggest reason that the Power Rangers conceal their identities is to protect their families, and friends, from retribution? _I think at that moment. _None of the _true_ Power Rangers are evil.

"_But..." yet another reporter begins at that moment._

"_No, it can't go on. I've made a promise to my supporters that, by the end of the week, the Power Rangers will leave Corinth for good. I intend to stick to that promise. Now, if you can excuse me, I've got to go now. We're planning our first course of action against the Power Rangers," Mira Tricks says as she turns and leaves the podium. Behind her, the Anti-Ranger protesters are chanting slogans like "The Rangers bring us evil!", "People Power! Not Ranger Power!" and "Down with the Rangers!" which fill my heart with sorrow._

_After all the times that the Power Rangers have protected these people, they are turning against them so easily just because of a few mistakes if what I believe is correct. Do they not realise that the Power Rangers are not infallible? That, in the end, they're mainly humans just like everyone else?_

_Obviously not if this display is anything to go by. As there is another flash of white light at that moment, I just wish that these people could open their eyes to this woman's manipulations by thinking through their opinion logically instead of acting like sheep._

_Dreamworld, White Zone_

_Back in the vast expanse of white again, I close my eyes._

_These visions are building up to something terrible if the ominous nature of the fact that the people appear to have turned against the Power Rangers is to go by. Something that I fear that I am not going to like at all._

_A wave of apprehension flows through my body at that moment. I push it aside, though, as I concentrate upon the positives whilst opening my eyes again._

_I now know what she is up to, at least partially, though I still do not know the exact reason behind her attempts to completely turn the people against the Power Rangers. I also know now that, judging by the technology that the press were using, that Corinth City is somewhere on Earth which has obviously escaped the Venjix invasion._

_Although, frustratingly, I still cannot remember exactly where I've heard about the city from before. Hopefully, though, I'll soon find out._

_Dreamworld, Corinth City, Scorpion Cartel Base of Operations_

_The white zone fades again. This time, I find myself standing in the corner of a small office. There are two men, dressed in black suits, that I believe to be bodyguards standing by the door._

_They're obviously there to guard the shady looking man sitting behind the single desk in the room though why I am not exactly sure. _

_At that moment, the door opens and, into the room, Mira Tricks strides in. The bodyguards stand to attention as the man sits up straighter at the desk in response. I frown as I notice that she is carrying a metallic case with her._

"_Is everything in place?" she demands which lead me to assume that this is obviously some sort of nefarious business deal._

"_Yes, everything is in place like we agreed," the man responds. "Now, as we agreed, you have to hand over the cash."_

_Mira Tricks sighs at that moment. Then, she walks forward and, as quickly as possible, dumps the metallic case on the desk._

_As soon as she steps back, the man opens the case revealing that it contains an exceptionally large amount of cash that he spends several moments checking over probably to ensure that all of the notes are legit. When he's done, a vicious smile spreads across his features which makes me feel slightly uncomfortable._

"_It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Tricks. Whenever you need men to do your dirty work, just let me know," he chuckles._

"_I will," she promises as she turns and leaves. A shiver runs down my spine._

I definitely don't like where this is going... _I think as there is another flash of white light._

_Dreamworld, White Zone_

_Back in the vast expanse of white again, the feeling of apprehension grows stronger._

_I now know that Mira Tricks is obviously turning the people against the Power Rangers in an attempt to use the Anti-Ranger protest group as a means of concealing the nefarious plot that she has obviously paid this shady individual to help her organise._

_Exactly what this plot is, though, I still have no idea. I have a bad feeling, though, that it is something terrible going by the extraordinary lengths that Mira Tricks is going to in order to conceal her plot._

_I fear the worst now though, desperately, hope that my worst fears do not come to pass._

_Dreamworld, Corinth City_

_Chaos._

_That's the only word that can ever come close to describing the scene that I now found myself in as the white zone fades around me again._

_Mira Tricks, along with her Anti-Ranger protesters, are trying to advance towards an apartment block whilst groups of soldiers that appear to be from the city's defence force are trying to hold them back._

_At the same time, people were fleeing from the apartment block in two and threes. _

_For some reason, I found myself unable to hear anything again so I'm not sure, exactly, of what is going on. By the fact that the people appear to be evacuating from the apartment block, I reckon that it has to be serious._

_Glancing at Mira Tricks at that moment, I notice that she has a small, slightly smug, look on her face. Whatever is going on here, obviously has to be part of her nefarious plot. At that moment, I notice that her smug look turns to a disgusted one._

_Following her gaze, I see two very familiar individuals exiting the apartment block at that moment. _

_Jason Scott and Kimberly Ann Hart. Both Power Rangers._

_Specifically, Power Rangers of Earth. I now realise that Corinth City is on said planet although, frustratingly, I still cannot remember where I've heard it of it before._

_Turning my attention back to the apartment block at that moment, I see Tommy Oliver escaping the apartment block with another man that I do not recognise at his side. By the morpher on his wrist, I recognise that he is a Power Ranger as well although, unfortunately, I do not know his name._

_Both rush over to Jason and Kimberly where they hold a small, worried conversation for a few minutes._

_Then, it happens._

_Without warning, the lower floors of the apartment block explode into flames, throwing those people who had just escaped from the block to the ground along with everyone else who are close enough to it to experience the force of the explosion._

No... _I think in horror at that moment._

_Molten glass is thrown in all directions because of the explosion and Tommy uses some sort of shield to protect himself from the worst of it whilst he also shields Kimberly, who lands next to him because of the force of the explosion, with his own body. _

No... No... _I think in horror at that moment._

_As soon as the shards settle, screams erupt from those watching in horror as the flames start to spread up the apartment block. _

"_No!" I scream at that moment just as everything vanishes in a flash of brilliant white light. _

_Inquiris, early evening, some time later_

"No!" Dimitria screamed at that moment. Horrified, Alpha 6 desperately tried to snap her out of her trance.

"Dimitria!" Alpha 6 exclaimed as she shook her. "Snap out of it!"

In response, Dimitria of Inquiris gasped, her eyes instantly locking onto Alpha 6, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh, Alpha..." Dimitria sobbed. "It was horrible..."

"Dimitria, what did you see?" Alpha 6 asked softly.

"Well..." Dimitria began as she started to inform her robotic assistant about what she had seen.

_Inquiris, mid-evening, some time later_

By the time that Dimitria had finished explaining her dream vision to Alpha 6, tears no longer streamed down her cheeks as she had managed to calm down somewhat.

"Your vision sound horrible, Dimitria," Alpha 6 said quietly. "What are you going to do about it?"

Dimitria frowned at that moment. What was she going to do?

Continuing on as if nothing had happened was definitely out of the question. Dimitria knew that, if she ignored what she had just seen, it would haunt her for the rest of her days.

This left her with only one option. She was going to have to intervene.

The Power Rangers on Earth needed to be warned about Mira Tricks so that they could stop her before it was too late.

"I'm going to contact the one person on Earth that I believe can stop what I saw from coming to pass," Dimitria responded.

"Who?" Alpha 6 asked.

"Tommy Oliver," Dimitria responded. Alpha 6 sighed.

"I know I won't be able to stop you," Alpha 6 said softly. "So be careful, Dimitria. Don't exhaust yourself completely."

"I will be careful, Alpha," Dimitria promised. Concentrating, she channelled the necessary amount of power required to contact someone on another planet through their dreams. Softly, at that moment, she began to glow with a golden glow as she closed her eyes.

Alpha 6 waited for a few seconds until that glow had vanished, signalling that Dimitria had dropped into a trance, before she went over to the nearby console to finish off some of the important work that had been interrupted by what had happened the day before.

_Dreamworld, White Zone_

_After showing Tommy Mira Tricks's true nature and some of her plans through a dream, I am somewhat surprised when he appears in the White Zone with me._

_I definitely did not bring him here. Looking closer, I notice at that moment that he has a slight glow around him that those with power often have._

_I pale at that moment as the prophecy that I had spoken ages ago comes to my mind. I push it aside, though, as I become visible to him._

_He takes in a deep breath at that moment._

"_You brought me here?" he asks. I nod._

_Even though I didn't bring him here, lying to him is the best option at the moment as I do not believe that he is ready to know the truth. Silently, at that moment, I vow to tell him the truth the first chance that I get once he is ready to know it._

"_I did. You must warn them Tommy. You must warn them that they must be wary of Mira Tricks. Now that you have seen what she is, and what she plans, you must warn them, Tommy, before it is too late..." I say just as everything fades around me._

_Inquiris, late evening, at that very moment_

"Dimitria, do you think that..." Alpha 6 began from where she worked at the console as Dimitria opened her eyes again. Dimitria smiled reassuringly.

"Yes, I think that it might have worked, Alpha 6," she replied as she took a deep breath. "Mira Tricks has the potential to be the downfall of us all but I am sure that Tommy will warn the other Power Rangers. Now, all we can do is wait and pray that my warning has not come too late."

Alpha 6 nodded and continued to work at the console as Dimitria sighed silently because everything was out of her hands now. All she could do was hope that Tommy would warn the others otherwise the universe was doomed.


End file.
